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A Wildlife Rescue Center

An adolescent lioness saved from conflict-ridden Ukraine has undergone vital dental surgery to remove a severely infected canine tooth caused by an abscess.

Lira arrived at The Big Cat Sanctuary in Kent, England on 14 March following a campaign by managing director Cam Whitnall, who raised £500,000 to support her and several other lions from Ukraine.

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The procedure was carried out on Friday by dentist an experienced animal dentist, who has treated about 450 big cats.

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

He thought the dental issue was due to a trauma sustained more than a year ago, causing bacteria producing harmful substances within the fang.

"The approach I follow is animal oral health issues should be addressed in the most predictable, the least invasive and most secure manner," he said.

Mr Kertesz clarified that as the lioness no longer required to catch prey, extraction was the most "sensible and ethical solution."

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The sanctuary said the removed fang was 3.14 inches in length, with Mr Kertesz having to extract a pocket of pus from under the fang and close the large wound with seven dissolving sutures.

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

Briony Smith, manager at the facility, declared the operation was a "complete success."

She said the team had observed "a small lump on the lioness's face" but it had been impossible to assess "how serious the condition was."

"The lioness will be somewhat sore to initially, but now that the infectious materials are out of her body, she will start to feel much better over the coming days," commented Ms Smith.

This vital operation marks a major milestone in Lira's recovery after her rescue from Ukraine.