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A Wildlife Rescue Center

A three-year-old lioness saved from war-torn Ukraine has undergone vital dental surgery to extract a severely infected fang caused by an infection.

Lira was brought to a wildlife sanctuary in Smarden, Kent on March 14 after a campaign by managing director the sanctuary's leader, who raised £500,000 to support her and several other lions from Ukraine.

The Big Cat Sanctuary

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

"Upon inspecting Lira's jaw and mouth, I could see immediately the damaged fang was highly inflamed," stated the dentist.

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

"The approach I follow is animal oral health issues need to be treated in the most predictable, the most conservative and most secure manner," he said.

Mr Kertesz explained that as the lioness did not need to catch prey, extraction was the most "sensible and ethical solution."

The Animal Rescue Facility

The sanctuary reported the extracted tooth was 8cm (3.14 inches) long, with Mr Kertesz having to remove a accumulated infection from beneath the tooth and seal the large wound with seven dissolving sutures.

He also performed a root canal treatment on the corresponding top fang, which was discovered to have a similar issue.

Briony Smith, curator at the facility, said the procedure was a "total triumph."

She said the staff had observed "a small lump on Lira's jawline" but it had been impossible to determine "the extent of the problem."

"The lioness will be a little uncomfortable to initially, but now that the toxins are removed from her system, she will start to feel much better over the coming days," added Ms Smith.

This vital operation marks a major milestone in the lioness's healing process after her rescue from Ukraine.