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A Wildlife Rescue Center

A three-year-old lioness rescued from conflict-ridden the war zone has received critical oral operation to remove a badly decayed fang caused by an abscess.

Lira was brought to The Big Cat Sanctuary in Kent, England on 14 March following a fundraising effort by managing director the sanctuary's leader, who raised £500,000 to support her and several other lions from Ukraine.

The Rescue Center

The procedure was carried out on last week by dentist Peter Kertesz, who has cared for hundreds of large felines.

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

He thought the dental issue was caused by a injury experienced over twelve months back, leading to germs creating toxins inside the tooth.

"The approach I follow is non-human dental problems should be addressed in the safest, the most conservative and most secure manner," he explained.

Mr Kertesz explained that as the lioness did not need to catch prey, removal was the most "sensible and ethical solution."

The Animal Rescue Facility

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

He also performed a root canal treatment on the corresponding top fang, which was also found to be infected.

Briony Smith, curator at the facility, said the procedure was a "total triumph."

She noted the staff had observed "a minor swelling on the lioness's face" but it had been difficult to determine "the extent of the problem."

"Lira will be somewhat sore to begin with, but now that the toxins are removed from her system, she will start to feel much better over the next few days," added the curator.

The successful surgery marks a major milestone in the lioness's healing process after her rescue from Ukraine.