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A Wildlife Rescue Center

An adolescent lioness rescued from conflict-ridden Ukraine has undergone vital oral operation to extract a badly decayed canine tooth caused by an abscess.

Lira was brought to a wildlife sanctuary in Smarden, Kent on 14 March after a fundraising effort by director the sanctuary's leader, who collected £500,000 to fund her and four other rescued lions.

The Rescue Center

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

"Upon inspecting the lioness's oral cavity, I could see right away the damaged fang was highly inflamed," said the dentist.

He thought the dental issue was caused by a injury experienced over twelve months back, leading to bacteria creating harmful substances within the fang.

"The approach I follow is non-human oral health issues should be addressed in the most predictable, the most conservative and safest way," he explained.

Mr Kertesz explained that as the lioness did not need to catch prey, extraction was the most "logical and humane option."

The Animal Rescue Facility

The sanctuary reported the extracted tooth was 8cm (3.14 inches) long, with the dentist having to remove a pocket of pus from under the fang and close the significant opening with multiple absorbable stitches.

He additionally conducted a dental procedure on the opposing upper canine tooth, which was also found to be infected.

Briony Smith, curator at The Big Cat Sanctuary, declared the operation was a "total triumph."

She noted the staff had observed "a minor swelling on Lira's jawline" but it had been difficult to determine "how serious the condition was."

"The lioness will be somewhat sore to begin with, but now that the toxins are removed from her system, she will begin improving over the next few days," added the curator.

This vital operation represents a major milestone in the lioness's healing process after her arrival from the conflict area.