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A Wildlife Rescue Center

An adolescent lioness rescued from war-torn Ukraine has received vital dental surgery to extract a severely infected fang resulting from an infection.

Lira arrived at The Big Cat Sanctuary in Smarden, Kent on March 14 after a fundraising effort by director the sanctuary's leader, who raised £500,000 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 the lioness's oral cavity, I could see right away the damaged fang was severely infected," said Mr Kertesz.

He thought the infection was caused by a injury sustained more than a year ago, leading to bacteria creating harmful substances inside the tooth.

"My philosophy is animal oral health issues need to be treated in the most predictable, the least invasive and safest way," he said.

The expert clarified that as Lira did not need to catch prey, extraction was the most "sensible and ethical solution."

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The rescue center said 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 seven dissolving sutures.

He also performed a root canal treatment on the opposing upper canine tooth, which was discovered to have a similar issue.

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

She said the staff had observed "a minor swelling on Lira's jawline" but it had been difficult to determine "how serious the condition was."

"The lioness will be a little uncomfortable to initially, but now that the infectious materials are out of her body, she will start to feel much better over the next few days," added Ms Smith.

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