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A Wildlife Rescue Center

An adolescent female lion saved from war-torn Ukraine has undergone critical oral operation to extract a badly decayed fang caused by an infection.

Lira arrived at The Big Cat Sanctuary in Kent, England on March 14 after a fundraising effort by managing director the sanctuary's leader, who collected half a million pounds to fund her and several other lions from Ukraine.

The Big Cat Sanctuary

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

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

He believed the dental issue was caused by a trauma sustained over twelve months back, leading to bacteria producing toxins inside the tooth.

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

Mr Kertesz clarified that as Lira no longer required to catch prey, removal was the most "logical and humane option."

The Animal Rescue Facility

The rescue center said the removed fang 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 additionally conducted a root canal treatment on the opposing upper canine tooth, which was also found to be infected.

The curator, manager at The Big Cat Sanctuary, declared the procedure was a "total triumph."

She noted the staff had observed "a small lump on the lioness's face" but it had been impossible to determine "the extent of the problem."

"Lira will be somewhat sore to initially, but now that the infectious materials are removed from her system, she will begin improving over the coming days," commented the curator.

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