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A Wildlife Rescue Center

An adolescent female lion saved from war-torn the war zone has received vital dental surgery to extract a badly decayed canine tooth caused by an abscess.

The lioness was brought to a wildlife sanctuary in Kent, England on 14 March following a campaign by director the sanctuary's leader, who raised half a million pounds to support her and several other lions from Ukraine.

The Rescue Center

The surgery was carried out on Friday by 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 severely infected," said the dentist.

He thought 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 non-human dental problems need to be treated in the safest, the least invasive and most secure manner," he said.

The expert clarified that as Lira did not need 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 accumulated infection from under the fang and seal 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.

The curator, curator at The Big Cat Sanctuary, said the procedure was a "complete success."

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

"Lira will be a little uncomfortable to begin with, but now that the toxins are out of her body, she will begin improving over the coming days," added the curator.

The successful surgery represents a significant step in Lira's recovery after her rescue from Ukraine.