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The Big Cat Sanctuary

An adolescent lioness saved from war-torn the war zone has received vital oral operation to extract a severely infected fang resulting from an abscess.

Lira arrived at a wildlife sanctuary in Kent, England on 14 March after a fundraising effort by managing director Cam Whitnall, who collected £500,000 to support her and four other rescued lions.

The Big Cat Sanctuary

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

"Upon inspecting Lira's jaw and mouth, I could see immediately the damaged fang was severely infected," stated the dentist.

He believed the infection was caused by a trauma experienced more than a year ago, causing germs producing toxins within the fang.

"The approach I follow is animal dental problems should be addressed in the safest, the least invasive and most secure manner," he explained.

The expert explained that as Lira did not need to catch prey, removal was the most "sensible and ethical solution."

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The rescue center reported the removed fang was 8cm (3.14 inches) long, with Mr Kertesz having to remove a pocket of pus from beneath the tooth and seal the significant opening with seven dissolving sutures.

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

Briony Smith, manager at the facility, declared the operation was a "complete success."

She said the team had spotted "a minor swelling 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 infectious materials are removed from her system, she will begin improving over the coming days," commented Ms Smith.

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