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The Big Cat Sanctuary

An adolescent female lion saved from conflict-ridden the war zone has undergone critical dental surgery to extract a badly decayed canine tooth resulting from an abscess.

Lira was brought to a wildlife sanctuary in Smarden, Kent on 14 March following a fundraising effort by managing director Cam Whitnall, who raised half a million pounds to support her and four other rescued lions.

The Rescue Center

The procedure was performed on Friday by dentist Peter Kertesz, who has cared for hundreds of large felines.

"When I examined Lira's jaw and mouth, I could see right away the damaged fang was severely infected," stated Mr Kertesz.

He thought the dental issue was caused by a trauma sustained more than a year ago, causing bacteria creating harmful substances within the fang.

"The approach I follow is non-human dental problems need to be treated in the most predictable, the most conservative and most secure manner," he said.

The expert explained that as Lira no longer required to catch prey, extraction was the most "sensible and ethical solution."

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The rescue center said the removed fang was 8cm (3.14 inches) long, with Mr Kertesz having to extract a pocket of pus from under the fang and close the significant opening with seven dissolving sutures.

He additionally conducted a root canal treatment on the opposing upper canine tooth, which was discovered to have a similar issue.

The curator, manager at the facility, declared the procedure was a "total triumph."

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

"The lioness will be somewhat sore to begin with, but now that the toxins are removed from her system, she will begin improving over the coming days," commented the curator.

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