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A Wildlife Rescue Center

A three-year-old female lion rescued from conflict-ridden Ukraine has undergone critical dental surgery to extract a severely infected fang resulting from an infection.

Lira was brought to The Big Cat Sanctuary in Kent, England on March 14 following a campaign by director the sanctuary's leader, who collected £500,000 to fund her and several other lions from Ukraine.

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The procedure was performed on last week by veterinary dentist an experienced animal dentist, who has treated about 450 big cats.

"Upon inspecting Lira's jaw and mouth, I could see right away the damaged fang was highly inflamed," said Mr Kertesz.

He believed the infection was caused by a trauma sustained over twelve months back, causing bacteria creating harmful substances inside the tooth.

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

Mr Kertesz clarified that as the lioness no longer required to hunt for food, extraction 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 extract a pocket of pus from beneath the tooth and seal the large wound with multiple absorbable stitches.

He additionally conducted a dental procedure on the opposing upper canine tooth, which was also found to be infected.

The curator, curator at The Big Cat Sanctuary, declared the procedure was a "total triumph."

She noted the team had observed "a small lump on Lira's jawline" but it had been difficult to assess "the extent of the problem."

"The lioness will be somewhat sore to initially, but now that the toxins are removed from her system, she will begin improving over the next few days," commented the curator.

This vital operation marks a major milestone in the lioness's healing process after her rescue from Ukraine.