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The Big Cat Sanctuary

An adolescent lioness saved from conflict-ridden the war zone has received vital dental surgery to remove a badly decayed canine tooth caused by an abscess.

Lira arrived at a wildlife sanctuary in Smarden, Kent on March 14 after a fundraising effort by managing 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 Peter Kertesz, who has cared for hundreds of large felines.

"Upon inspecting the lioness's oral cavity, I could see immediately the broken tooth was severely infected," said the dentist.

He thought the dental issue was due to a trauma experienced more than a year ago, leading to germs creating toxins inside the tooth.

"The approach I follow is animal oral health issues should be addressed in the most predictable, the least invasive and safest way," he explained.

Mr Kertesz explained that as Lira did not need to catch prey, extraction was the most "logical and humane option."

The Animal Rescue Facility

The sanctuary reported the removed fang was 8cm (3.14 inches) long, with the dentist having to remove a pocket of pus from beneath the tooth and close the significant opening with seven dissolving sutures.

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

Briony Smith, manager at the facility, said the operation was a "complete success."

She said the staff had spotted "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 begin with, but now that the infectious materials are removed from her system, she will start to feel much better over the next few days," added the curator.

The successful surgery marks a major milestone in the lioness's healing process after her arrival from the conflict area.