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The Big Cat Sanctuary

An adolescent lioness rescued from war-torn Ukraine has undergone critical oral operation to extract a severely infected canine tooth resulting from an abscess.

The lioness arrived at The Big Cat Sanctuary in Kent, England on 14 March after a campaign by director Cam Whitnall, who raised half a million pounds to fund her and four other rescued lions.

The Rescue Center

The procedure was performed on last week by veterinary dentist Peter Kertesz, who has treated about 450 big cats.

"Upon inspecting the lioness's oral cavity, I could see right away the damaged fang was highly inflamed," stated the dentist.

He thought the infection was due to a injury sustained more than a year ago, causing germs creating harmful substances within the fang.

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

The expert explained that as the lioness did not need to hunt for food, removal was the most "logical and humane option."

The Animal Rescue Facility

The sanctuary reported the extracted tooth was 8cm (3.14 inches) long, with the dentist having to extract a accumulated infection from beneath the tooth and seal the large wound with multiple absorbable stitches.

He also performed a root canal treatment on the opposing upper canine tooth, which was also found to be infected.

Briony Smith, curator at the facility, declared the procedure was a "complete success."

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

"The lioness will be somewhat sore to initially, but now that the toxins are out of her body, she will begin improving over the coming days," commented the curator.

This vital operation represents a significant step in Lira's recovery after her rescue from Ukraine.