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A Wildlife Rescue Center

An adolescent female lion saved from war-torn Ukraine has undergone vital dental surgery to remove a severely infected canine tooth resulting from an abscess.

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

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The surgery was performed on last week by dentist an experienced animal dentist, who has treated about 450 big cats.

"When I examined the lioness's oral cavity, I could see immediately the broken tooth was highly inflamed," said the dentist.

He thought the infection was due to a trauma experienced over twelve months back, causing germs creating toxins inside the tooth.

"My philosophy is non-human dental problems should be addressed in the most predictable, the least invasive and safest way," he explained.

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

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 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 "complete success."

She said the team had observed "a minor swelling on the lioness's face" but it had been impossible to determine "the extent of the problem."

"Lira 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," commented Ms Smith.

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