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The Big Cat Sanctuary

A three-year-old female lion rescued from war-torn the war zone has received critical dental surgery to extract a badly decayed canine tooth resulting from an abscess.

Lira arrived at a wildlife sanctuary in Kent, England on March 14 following a campaign by director the sanctuary's leader, who raised half a million pounds to fund her and four other rescued lions.

The Rescue Center

The surgery was carried out on last week by veterinary dentist an experienced animal dentist, who has treated about 450 big cats.

"When I examined the lioness's oral cavity, I could see right away the broken tooth was highly inflamed," stated the dentist.

He believed the dental issue was due to a trauma experienced over twelve months back, causing germs creating toxins inside the tooth.

"My philosophy is non-human dental problems need to be treated in the most predictable, the most conservative and most secure manner," he explained.

The expert explained that as the lioness no longer required to catch prey, extraction was the most "sensible and ethical solution."

The Animal Rescue Facility

The rescue center reported the removed fang was 3.14 inches in length, with Mr Kertesz having to remove a accumulated infection from under the fang and seal the large wound with multiple absorbable stitches.

He also performed a dental procedure on the opposing upper canine tooth, which was also found to be infected.

The curator, curator at The Big Cat Sanctuary, said the procedure was a "complete success."

She noted the team had observed "a minor swelling on Lira's jawline" but it had been difficult to assess "how serious the condition was."

"The lioness will be a little uncomfortable to begin with, but now that the infectious materials are out of her body, she will begin improving over the next few days," added the curator.

The successful surgery marks a major milestone in Lira's recovery after her arrival from the conflict area.