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A Wildlife Rescue Center

An adolescent female lion rescued from conflict-ridden the war zone has received critical oral operation to remove a badly decayed fang caused by an infection.

Lira arrived at a wildlife sanctuary in Smarden, Kent on 14 March following a fundraising effort by director Cam Whitnall, who collected £500,000 to fund her and several other lions from Ukraine.

The Rescue Center

The surgery was carried out on Friday 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," said the dentist.

He thought the dental issue was due to a trauma sustained more than a year ago, causing bacteria creating harmful substances inside the tooth.

"The approach I follow is non-human dental problems should be addressed in the most predictable, the most conservative and most secure manner," he said.

The expert explained that as Lira no longer required to catch prey, extraction was the most "sensible and ethical solution."

The Animal Rescue Facility

The rescue center said the removed fang was 3.14 inches in length, with Mr Kertesz having to remove a accumulated infection from beneath the tooth and close the significant opening with multiple absorbable stitches.

He additionally conducted a root canal treatment on the opposing upper canine tooth, which was discovered to have a similar issue.

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

She said the team had spotted "a minor swelling on Lira's jawline" but it had been difficult to determine "the extent of the problem."

"Lira 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 coming days," added Ms Smith.

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