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A Wildlife Rescue Center

An adolescent female lion rescued from war-torn the war zone has undergone vital oral operation to remove a severely infected canine tooth resulting from an abscess.

The lioness was brought to a wildlife sanctuary in Kent, England on March 14 after a campaign by director the sanctuary's leader, who raised half a million pounds to support her and several other lions from Ukraine.

The Big Cat Sanctuary

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

"Upon inspecting Lira's jaw and mouth, I could see right away the broken tooth was highly inflamed," stated the dentist.

He thought the infection was due to a injury sustained more than a year ago, leading to germs producing toxins inside the tooth.

"My philosophy is non-human oral health issues should be addressed in the safest, the most conservative and most secure manner," he explained.

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

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The sanctuary reported the removed fang was 3.14 inches in length, with the dentist having to remove a accumulated infection from under the fang and close the large wound with multiple absorbable stitches.

He also performed a root canal treatment on the corresponding top fang, which was also found to be infected.

Briony Smith, manager at the facility, said the procedure was a "total triumph."

She noted the staff had spotted "a small lump on Lira's jawline" but it had been difficult to determine "the extent of the problem."

"Lira will be somewhat sore to begin with, 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.

The successful surgery represents a major milestone in Lira's recovery after her arrival from the conflict area.