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The Big Cat Sanctuary

An adolescent lioness saved from war-torn the war zone has received critical oral operation to remove a severely infected fang resulting from an abscess.

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

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The surgery was carried out on last week by veterinary dentist an experienced animal dentist, who has cared for hundreds of large felines.

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

He thought the dental issue was due to a trauma experienced more than a year ago, leading to germs producing toxins within the fang.

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

Mr Kertesz clarified that as Lira no longer required to catch prey, removal was the most "logical and humane option."

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The sanctuary reported the extracted tooth was 8cm (3.14 inches) long, with the dentist having to extract a pocket of pus from beneath the tooth and close the large wound with seven dissolving sutures.

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 facility, declared the procedure was a "total triumph."

She said the team had spotted "a minor swelling on Lira's jawline" but it had been difficult 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," added the curator.

This vital operation represents a significant step in Lira's recovery after her arrival from the conflict area.