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A Wildlife Rescue Center

A three-year-old female lion saved from conflict-ridden Ukraine has received vital oral operation to extract a badly decayed fang resulting from an infection.

The lioness arrived at The Big Cat Sanctuary in Kent, England on 14 March following a fundraising effort by director Cam Whitnall, who raised £500,000 to fund her and four other rescued lions.

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The procedure was carried out on last week by veterinary dentist an experienced animal dentist, who has treated about 450 big cats.

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

He thought the infection was caused by a injury experienced more than a year ago, causing germs creating toxins inside the tooth.

"The approach I follow is animal oral health issues need to be treated in the safest, the least invasive and most secure manner," he said.

The expert clarified that as the lioness no longer required to hunt for food, removal was the most "logical and humane option."

The Animal Rescue Facility

The sanctuary said the removed fang was 3.14 inches in length, with the dentist having to extract a pocket of pus from beneath the tooth and close the large wound with multiple absorbable stitches.

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

Briony Smith, manager at the facility, said the procedure was a "complete success."

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

"The lioness will be somewhat sore to initially, but now that the infectious materials are removed from her system, she will start to feel much better over the next few days," added the curator.

This vital operation marks a major milestone in the lioness's healing process after her rescue from Ukraine.