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A Wildlife Rescue Center

A three-year-old female lion rescued from conflict-ridden the war zone has undergone critical dental surgery to remove a severely infected canine tooth caused by an abscess.

Lira arrived at The Big Cat Sanctuary in Smarden, Kent on 14 March following a fundraising effort by managing director Cam Whitnall, who raised half a million pounds to support her and four other rescued lions.

The Big Cat Sanctuary

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

"When I examined Lira's jaw and mouth, I could see right away the broken tooth was severely infected," said Mr Kertesz.

He believed the dental issue was caused by a trauma experienced more than a year ago, causing 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.

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 removed fang was 3.14 inches in length, with the dentist having to extract a pocket of pus from under the fang and seal the large wound with seven dissolving sutures.

He also performed a dental procedure on the opposing upper canine tooth, which was discovered to have a similar issue.

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

She said the team had observed "a minor swelling on Lira's jawline" but it had been difficult to assess "the extent of the problem."

"The lioness will be somewhat sore to begin with, but now that the toxins are out of her body, she will start to feel much better over the coming days," commented the curator.

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