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The Big Cat Sanctuary

An adolescent female lion saved from war-torn the war zone has received vital dental surgery to extract a severely infected canine tooth resulting from an infection.

The lioness was brought to The Big Cat Sanctuary in Kent, England on March 14 following a fundraising effort by director Cam Whitnall, who collected half a million pounds to fund her and four other rescued lions.

The Rescue Center

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

"Upon inspecting Lira's jaw and mouth, I could see right away the damaged fang was severely infected," stated the dentist.

He thought the infection was due to a injury sustained over twelve months back, leading to germs creating toxins within the fang.

"My philosophy is non-human oral health issues should be addressed in the safest, the most conservative and most secure manner," he explained.

The expert clarified that as the lioness did not need to hunt for food, extraction was the most "sensible and ethical solution."

The Animal Rescue Facility

The rescue center reported the extracted tooth was 8cm (3.14 inches) long, with the dentist having to extract a accumulated infection from under the fang and seal the significant opening with multiple absorbable stitches.

He also performed a root canal treatment on the corresponding top fang, which was discovered to have a similar issue.

The curator, manager at The Big Cat Sanctuary, declared the procedure was a "complete success."

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

"Lira will be a little uncomfortable to initially, but now that the toxins are out of her body, she will start to feel much better over the coming days," added the curator.

The successful surgery represents a major milestone in the lioness's healing process after her arrival from the conflict area.