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A Wildlife Rescue Center

A three-year-old female lion rescued from conflict-ridden Ukraine has undergone vital dental surgery to extract a badly decayed canine tooth resulting from an infection.

Lira arrived at a wildlife sanctuary in Smarden, Kent on March 14 after 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 procedure was performed on Friday by dentist an experienced animal dentist, who has treated about 450 big cats.

"When I examined the lioness's oral cavity, I could see immediately the damaged fang was severely infected," stated the dentist.

He thought the dental issue was due to a injury experienced over twelve months back, leading to bacteria creating harmful substances inside the tooth.

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

The expert clarified that as Lira did not need to hunt for food, extraction was the most "sensible and ethical solution."

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The rescue center reported the extracted tooth was 8cm (3.14 inches) long, with the dentist having to extract a accumulated infection from under the fang and seal 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.

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

She said the team had observed "a minor swelling on the lioness's face" but it had been impossible to assess "the extent of the problem."

"The lioness 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.

The successful surgery marks a major milestone in the lioness's healing process after her arrival from the conflict area.