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The Big Cat Sanctuary

An adolescent female lion rescued from conflict-ridden the war zone has received vital dental surgery to extract a severely infected canine tooth caused by an infection.

Lira was brought to The Big Cat Sanctuary in Kent, England on March 14 after a fundraising effort by director the sanctuary's leader, who raised £500,000 to fund her and four other rescued lions.

The Rescue Center

The procedure was performed on Friday by veterinary dentist Peter Kertesz, who has treated about 450 big cats.

"Upon inspecting the lioness's oral cavity, I could see right away the damaged fang was highly inflamed," said Mr Kertesz.

He thought the dental issue was caused by a trauma sustained more than a year ago, leading to bacteria producing harmful substances inside the tooth.

"My philosophy is animal oral health issues should be addressed in the most predictable, the most conservative and safest way," he said.

Mr Kertesz clarified that as the lioness did not need to hunt for food, extraction was the most "logical and humane option."

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The rescue center said the extracted tooth was 8cm (3.14 inches) long, with the dentist having to extract a pocket of pus from under the fang and seal the significant opening with multiple absorbable stitches.

He additionally conducted a root canal treatment on the opposing upper canine tooth, which was also found to be infected.

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

She noted the team had spotted "a small lump on the lioness's face" but it had been difficult to determine "how serious the condition was."

"Lira will be somewhat sore 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 Ms Smith.

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