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A Wildlife Rescue Center

A three-year-old lioness rescued from conflict-ridden Ukraine has undergone vital oral operation to remove a badly decayed fang caused by an infection.

Lira arrived at The Big Cat Sanctuary in Smarden, Kent on 14 March after a fundraising effort by director the sanctuary's leader, who collected half a million pounds to fund her and several other lions from Ukraine.

The Rescue Center

The procedure was carried out on last week by veterinary dentist Peter Kertesz, who has cared for hundreds of large felines.

"Upon inspecting Lira's jaw and mouth, I could see immediately the broken tooth was severely infected," said the dentist.

He believed the infection was due to a trauma experienced more than a year ago, leading to germs producing toxins within the fang.

"My philosophy is animal oral health issues need to be treated in the most predictable, the most conservative and safest way," he said.

The expert explained that as Lira no longer required to hunt for food, extraction was the most "logical and humane option."

The Animal Rescue Facility

The rescue center reported the removed fang was 3.14 inches in length, with Mr Kertesz having to remove a pocket of pus from under the fang and close the significant opening with multiple absorbable stitches.

He additionally conducted a root canal treatment on the opposing upper canine tooth, which was also found to be infected.

Briony Smith, curator at the facility, declared the operation was a "complete success."

She said the team had observed "a small lump on the lioness's face" but it had been impossible to determine "how serious the condition was."

"Lira will be somewhat sore to initially, but now that the infectious materials are removed from her system, she will start to feel much better over the coming days," commented Ms Smith.

The successful surgery marks a major milestone in Lira's recovery after her rescue from Ukraine.