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A Wildlife Rescue Center

A three-year-old female lion rescued from war-torn the war zone has received vital oral operation to remove a badly decayed fang resulting from an abscess.

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

The Rescue Center

The surgery was performed on last week by dentist an experienced animal dentist, 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," said the dentist.

He believed the dental issue was due to a trauma experienced more than a year ago, causing bacteria creating harmful substances within the fang.

"The approach I follow is non-human oral health issues need to be treated in the safest, the most conservative and safest way," he said.

Mr Kertesz explained that as the lioness no longer required to catch prey, extraction was the most "logical and humane option."

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The rescue center reported the removed fang was 8cm (3.14 inches) long, with the dentist having to remove a pocket of pus 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 also found to be infected.

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

She noted the team had observed "a minor swelling on Lira's jawline" but it had been difficult 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 coming days," added the curator.

The successful surgery represents a significant step in Lira's recovery after her rescue from Ukraine.