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A Wildlife Rescue Center

A three-year-old female lion saved from conflict-ridden Ukraine has undergone vital oral operation to extract a badly decayed canine tooth resulting from an abscess.

The lioness was brought to The Big Cat Sanctuary in Kent, England on March 14 following a fundraising effort by managing director the sanctuary's leader, who raised £500,000 to fund her and four other rescued lions.

The Rescue Center

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

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

He believed the dental issue was caused by a injury experienced over twelve months back, leading to germs creating toxins inside the tooth.

"My philosophy is non-human oral health issues need to be treated in the most predictable, the most conservative and safest way," he explained.

Mr Kertesz explained that as Lira did not need to hunt for food, removal was the most "logical and humane option."

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The rescue center said the removed fang was 3.14 inches in length, with Mr Kertesz having to extract a accumulated infection from under the fang and close the large wound 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, curator at The Big Cat Sanctuary, declared the procedure was a "total triumph."

She said the team had spotted "a small lump on the lioness's face" but it had been impossible to assess "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 the curator.

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