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A Wildlife Rescue Center

A three-year-old lioness saved from war-torn the war zone has received critical dental surgery to extract a badly decayed canine tooth caused by an abscess.

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

The Rescue Center

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

"When I examined Lira's jaw and mouth, I could see immediately the damaged fang was highly inflamed," stated the dentist.

He believed the infection was due to a trauma experienced more than a year ago, causing germs producing harmful substances inside the tooth.

"My philosophy is animal oral health issues should be addressed in the safest, the least invasive and most secure manner," he said.

Mr Kertesz explained that as Lira no longer required to hunt for food, removal was the most "sensible and ethical solution."

The Animal Rescue Facility

The sanctuary said the removed fang was 3.14 inches in length, with the dentist having to extract a pocket of pus from beneath the tooth and seal the large wound with multiple absorbable stitches.

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

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

She said the staff had spotted "a small lump on Lira's jawline" but it had been impossible to determine "how serious the condition was."

"The lioness will be somewhat sore to initially, but now that the toxins are out of her body, she will begin improving over the next few days," added the curator.

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