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A Wildlife Rescue Center

A three-year-old female lion saved from conflict-ridden Ukraine has undergone vital dental surgery to extract a badly decayed canine tooth resulting from an infection.

Lira arrived at The Big Cat Sanctuary in Kent, England on March 14 following a fundraising effort by director Cam Whitnall, who raised £500,000 to support her and several other lions from Ukraine.

The Rescue Center

The surgery was performed on last week by dentist Peter Kertesz, who has treated about 450 big cats.

"Upon inspecting the lioness's oral cavity, I could see immediately the damaged fang was highly inflamed," stated the dentist.

He thought the dental issue was caused by a trauma sustained over twelve months back, leading to bacteria creating harmful substances within the fang.

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

The expert explained that as Lira did not need to hunt for food, extraction was the most "sensible and ethical solution."

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The sanctuary reported the extracted tooth was 3.14 inches in length, with the dentist having to remove a accumulated infection from under the fang and close the significant opening with multiple absorbable stitches.

He also performed a dental procedure on the corresponding top fang, which was discovered to have a similar issue.

Briony Smith, manager at the facility, said the procedure was a "total triumph."

She noted the team had spotted "a minor swelling on the lioness's face" but it had been difficult to determine "how serious the condition was."

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

The successful surgery represents a significant step in the lioness's healing process after her rescue from Ukraine.