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A Wildlife Rescue Center

An adolescent female lion rescued from conflict-ridden Ukraine has undergone critical oral operation to extract a badly decayed fang resulting from an infection.

Lira arrived at a wildlife sanctuary in Smarden, Kent on March 14 after a fundraising effort by managing director the sanctuary's leader, who collected half a million pounds to support her and four other rescued lions.

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The procedure was performed on Friday 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 severely infected," said Mr Kertesz.

He believed the dental issue was due to a injury sustained more than a year ago, leading to bacteria creating toxins inside the tooth.

"The approach I follow is animal oral health issues should be addressed in the safest, the least invasive and safest way," he explained.

The expert explained that as the lioness did not need to hunt for food, extraction was the most "logical and humane option."

The Animal Rescue Facility

The rescue center said the removed fang was 3.14 inches in length, with Mr Kertesz having to remove a pocket of pus from under the fang and close the significant opening with multiple absorbable stitches.

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

The curator, curator at The Big Cat Sanctuary, said the procedure was a "complete success."

She said the team had observed "a small lump on the lioness's face" but it had been impossible to determine "how serious the condition was."

"The lioness will be a little uncomfortable to begin with, but now that the infectious materials are removed from her system, she will start to feel much better over the coming days," added the curator.

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