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A Wildlife Rescue Center

A three-year-old lioness rescued from conflict-ridden the war zone has received vital dental surgery to extract a severely infected fang caused by an infection.

Lira arrived at The Big Cat Sanctuary in Smarden, Kent on 14 March following a campaign by director the sanctuary's leader, who collected half a million pounds to fund her and four other rescued lions.

The Rescue Center

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

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

He thought the dental issue was due to a trauma experienced more than a year ago, causing bacteria creating harmful substances within the fang.

"The approach I follow is animal oral health issues should be addressed in the safest, the most conservative and safest way," he said.

Mr Kertesz explained that as Lira did not need to catch prey, removal was the most "logical and humane option."

The Big Cat Sanctuary

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

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

Briony Smith, manager at the facility, declared the procedure was a "total triumph."

She noted the team had observed "a small lump on Lira's jawline" but it had been difficult to determine "how serious the condition was."

"The lioness will be a little uncomfortable to begin with, but now that the infectious materials are removed from her system, she will start to feel much better over the next few days," commented Ms Smith.

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