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The Big Cat Sanctuary

An adolescent female lion saved from war-torn Ukraine has received critical oral operation to extract a severely infected fang resulting from an infection.

The lioness arrived at a wildlife sanctuary in Kent, England on March 14 following a fundraising effort by managing director Cam Whitnall, who collected half a million pounds to support her and four other rescued lions.

The Rescue Center

The procedure was carried out on Friday by veterinary dentist Peter Kertesz, who has treated about 450 big cats.

"When I examined Lira's jaw and mouth, I could see immediately the damaged fang was highly inflamed," said Mr Kertesz.

He believed the dental issue was caused by a trauma sustained more than a year ago, causing bacteria producing harmful substances inside the tooth.

"My philosophy is non-human oral health issues should be addressed in the safest, the least invasive and most secure manner," he said.

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

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The rescue center 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 seal the large wound with multiple absorbable stitches.

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

Briony Smith, manager at The Big Cat Sanctuary, said the operation was a "total triumph."

She said the team had spotted "a small lump on the lioness's face" but it had been difficult to assess "the extent of the problem."

"Lira will be a little uncomfortable to initially, but now that the infectious materials are removed from her system, she will begin improving over the next few days," added the curator.

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