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A Wildlife Rescue Center

An adolescent lioness rescued from conflict-ridden the war zone has received vital oral operation to remove a severely infected fang caused by an abscess.

Lira arrived at The Big Cat Sanctuary in Smarden, Kent on March 14 after a campaign by director Cam Whitnall, who raised £500,000 to fund her and four other rescued lions.

The Rescue Center

The procedure was performed 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 thought the dental issue was caused by a injury experienced more than a year ago, leading to bacteria producing harmful substances within the fang.

"The approach I follow is animal dental problems need to be treated in the most predictable, the most conservative and most secure manner," he said.

The expert clarified that as Lira no longer required to hunt for food, extraction was the most "sensible and ethical solution."

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The sanctuary said the extracted tooth was 8cm (3.14 inches) long, with the dentist having to remove a pocket of pus from under the fang and seal the significant opening 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, curator at the facility, declared the procedure was a "complete success."

She noted the team had observed "a small lump on the lioness's face" but it had been impossible to assess "the extent of the problem."

"The lioness 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," added the curator.

The successful surgery represents a significant step in the lioness's healing process after her rescue from Ukraine.