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The Big Cat Sanctuary

An adolescent lioness rescued from war-torn Ukraine has received vital oral operation to extract a severely infected canine tooth resulting from an infection.

The lioness arrived at The Big Cat Sanctuary in Smarden, Kent on March 14 after a campaign by managing director the sanctuary's leader, who collected £500,000 to fund her and four other rescued lions.

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The procedure was carried out on Friday by dentist an experienced animal dentist, who has cared for hundreds of large felines.

"When I examined Lira's jaw and mouth, I could see immediately the broken tooth was highly inflamed," stated Mr Kertesz.

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

"The approach I follow is non-human oral health issues should be addressed in the safest, the least invasive and safest way," he said.

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

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The sanctuary said the extracted tooth was 3.14 inches in length, with the dentist having to remove a pocket of pus from beneath the tooth and close the large wound with multiple absorbable stitches.

He also performed a dental procedure on the corresponding top fang, which was also found to be infected.

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

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

"Lira will be a little uncomfortable to initially, but now that the infectious materials are out of her body, she will begin improving over the coming days," commented the curator.

This vital operation marks a significant step in the lioness's healing process after her rescue from Ukraine.