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A Wildlife Rescue Center

An adolescent lioness rescued from war-torn the war zone has received vital dental surgery to extract a severely infected fang caused by an infection.

Lira arrived at a wildlife sanctuary in Smarden, Kent on 14 March following a campaign by managing director Cam Whitnall, who raised £500,000 to fund her and several other lions from Ukraine.

The Rescue Center

The procedure was performed on last week by dentist Peter Kertesz, who has treated about 450 big cats.

"Upon inspecting the lioness's oral cavity, I could see right away the damaged fang was severely infected," stated Mr Kertesz.

He believed the dental issue was caused by a injury sustained over twelve months back, leading to germs creating toxins within the fang.

"The approach I follow is non-human oral health issues need to be treated in the most predictable, the least invasive and most secure manner," he said.

Mr Kertesz clarified that as the lioness did not need to hunt for food, extraction was the most "logical and humane option."

The Big Cat Sanctuary

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

He additionally conducted a dental procedure on the corresponding top fang, which was discovered to have a similar issue.

Briony Smith, curator at the facility, declared the operation was a "total triumph."

She noted the team had observed "a minor swelling on Lira's jawline" but it had been difficult to determine "the extent of the problem."

"Lira will be somewhat sore to initially, but now that the toxins are out of her body, she will start to feel much better over the next few days," commented the curator.

This vital operation represents a significant step in the lioness's healing process after her rescue from Ukraine.