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A Wildlife Rescue Center

A three-year-old female lion rescued from conflict-ridden Ukraine has received vital oral operation to remove a severely infected fang caused by an infection.

Lira arrived at The Big Cat Sanctuary in Kent, England on March 14 after a fundraising effort by managing director Cam Whitnall, who collected half a million pounds to fund her and several other lions from Ukraine.

The Rescue Center

The surgery was carried out on Friday by dentist an experienced animal dentist, who has treated about 450 big cats.

"Upon inspecting the lioness's oral cavity, I could see right away the damaged fang was severely infected," said the dentist.

He believed the dental issue was caused by a trauma sustained more than a year ago, leading to bacteria creating toxins within the fang.

"My philosophy is non-human dental problems need to be treated in the most predictable, the most conservative and most secure manner," he explained.

Mr Kertesz clarified that as Lira no longer required to hunt for food, extraction was the most "sensible and ethical solution."

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The sanctuary said the extracted tooth 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 seven dissolving sutures.

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

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

She said the staff had spotted "a minor swelling on the lioness's face" but it had been difficult to assess "how serious the condition was."

"The lioness will be a little uncomfortable to initially, but now that the toxins are out of her body, she will start to feel much better over the coming days," commented the curator.

The successful surgery marks a significant step in the lioness's healing process after her rescue from Ukraine.