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The Big Cat Sanctuary

An adolescent female lion rescued from conflict-ridden the war zone has received vital oral operation to extract a badly decayed canine tooth caused by an infection.

The lioness was brought to a wildlife sanctuary in Smarden, Kent on March 14 after a campaign by director the sanctuary's leader, who raised half a million pounds to support her and four other rescued lions.

The Rescue Center

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

He thought the infection was due to a trauma sustained more than a year ago, leading to bacteria creating harmful substances within the fang.

"My philosophy is non-human oral health issues should be addressed in the safest, the most conservative and most secure manner," he said.

The expert explained that as the lioness no longer required to hunt for food, extraction was the most "sensible and ethical solution."

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The rescue center reported the extracted tooth was 3.14 inches in length, with the dentist having to remove a pocket of pus from under the fang and close the significant opening with multiple absorbable stitches.

He also performed a root canal treatment on the corresponding top fang, which was also found to be infected.

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

She noted the team had spotted "a minor swelling on Lira's jawline" but it had been impossible to determine "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 start to feel much better over the coming days," commented the curator.

This vital operation marks a major milestone in Lira's recovery after her arrival from the conflict area.