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A Wildlife Rescue Center

An adolescent female lion rescued from conflict-ridden Ukraine has undergone critical dental surgery to extract a badly decayed canine tooth resulting from an abscess.

The lioness was brought to The Big Cat Sanctuary in Kent, England on March 14 after a fundraising effort by managing director the sanctuary's leader, who raised half a million pounds to fund her and four other rescued lions.

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The surgery was performed on Friday by veterinary dentist Peter Kertesz, who has cared for hundreds of large felines.

"When I examined Lira's jaw and mouth, I could see right away the broken tooth was highly inflamed," said the dentist.

He thought the infection was caused by a injury sustained over twelve months back, causing germs creating toxins within the fang.

"The approach I follow is animal oral health issues need to be treated in the most predictable, the most conservative and safest way," he said.

Mr Kertesz clarified 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 3.14 inches in length, with Mr Kertesz having to remove a pocket of pus from beneath the tooth and seal the large wound with seven dissolving sutures.

He additionally conducted a dental procedure on the opposing upper canine tooth, which was discovered to have a similar issue.

Briony Smith, curator at The Big Cat Sanctuary, said the procedure was a "total triumph."

She noted the staff had observed "a minor swelling on Lira's jawline" but it had been impossible to assess "the extent of the problem."

"Lira 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 coming days," commented Ms Smith.

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