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The Big Cat Sanctuary

An adolescent female lion rescued from war-torn the war zone has received critical dental surgery to remove a badly decayed canine tooth resulting from an abscess.

The lioness was brought to a wildlife sanctuary in Smarden, Kent on 14 March after a fundraising effort by director Cam Whitnall, who raised £500,000 to support her and four other rescued lions.

The Rescue Center

The surgery was carried out on last week by veterinary dentist Peter Kertesz, who has treated about 450 big cats.

"Upon inspecting Lira's jaw and mouth, I could see immediately the damaged fang was highly inflamed," said the dentist.

He thought the infection was due to a trauma sustained more than a year ago, leading to bacteria producing toxins inside the tooth.

"The approach I follow is non-human oral health issues need to be treated in the most predictable, the least invasive and most secure manner," he said.

Mr Kertesz explained that as the lioness did not need to catch prey, removal was the most "logical and humane option."

The Animal Rescue Facility

The sanctuary reported the removed fang was 8cm (3.14 inches) long, with Mr Kertesz having to remove a accumulated infection from beneath the tooth and close the significant opening with multiple absorbable stitches.

He additionally conducted a root canal treatment on the corresponding top fang, which was discovered to have a similar issue.

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

She said the staff had spotted "a small lump on the lioness's face" but it had been impossible to determine "the extent of the problem."

"The lioness will be somewhat sore to initially, but now that the infectious materials are removed from her system, she will start to feel much better over the coming days," added Ms Smith.

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