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The Big Cat Sanctuary

A three-year-old female lion rescued from war-torn the war zone has received critical oral operation to extract a badly decayed canine tooth caused by an infection.

Lira arrived at a wildlife sanctuary in Smarden, Kent on 14 March following a campaign by director Cam Whitnall, who raised £500,000 to support her and four other rescued lions.

The Big Cat Sanctuary

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

"Upon inspecting the lioness's oral cavity, I could see immediately the damaged fang was severely infected," stated Mr Kertesz.

He believed the infection was caused by a injury experienced more than a year ago, leading to germs creating harmful substances inside the tooth.

"The approach I follow is animal dental problems need to be treated in the safest, the least invasive and most secure manner," he explained.

The expert clarified that as Lira did not need to catch prey, removal was the most "sensible and ethical solution."

The Animal Rescue Facility

The sanctuary said the removed fang was 3.14 inches in length, with Mr Kertesz having to remove a pocket of pus from beneath the tooth and seal the significant opening with seven dissolving sutures.

He also performed a root canal treatment on the opposing upper canine tooth, which was also found to be infected.

Briony Smith, manager at the facility, declared the procedure was a "complete success."

She said the team had observed "a minor swelling on the lioness's face" but it had been difficult to assess "how serious the condition was."

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

The successful surgery marks a significant step in Lira's recovery after her arrival from the conflict area.