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A Wildlife Rescue Center

An adolescent female lion saved from war-torn Ukraine has undergone critical dental surgery to extract a severely infected canine tooth caused by an abscess.

Lira was brought to The Big Cat Sanctuary in Kent, England on March 14 following a fundraising effort by director Cam Whitnall, who collected £500,000 to support her and several other lions from Ukraine.

The Rescue Center

The procedure was performed on Friday by dentist an experienced animal dentist, who has treated about 450 big cats.

"Upon inspecting Lira's jaw and mouth, I could see right away the broken tooth was highly inflamed," said the dentist.

He thought the infection was due to a injury experienced more than a year ago, leading to bacteria creating toxins inside the tooth.

"My philosophy is animal oral health issues should be addressed in the safest, the most conservative and most secure manner," he said.

Mr Kertesz clarified that as the lioness did not need to hunt for food, removal was the most "sensible and ethical solution."

The Animal Rescue Facility

The sanctuary reported the extracted tooth was 3.14 inches in length, with the dentist having to extract a pocket of pus from under the fang and close the large wound with seven dissolving sutures.

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

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

She noted the staff had spotted "a minor swelling on Lira's jawline" but it had been impossible to assess "the extent of the problem."

"The lioness will be somewhat sore to initially, but now that the infectious materials are out of her body, she will start to feel much better over the next few days," added Ms Smith.

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