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A Wildlife Rescue Center

A three-year-old lioness rescued from war-torn Ukraine has undergone critical dental surgery to remove a severely infected fang caused by an infection.

Lira arrived at The Big Cat Sanctuary in Smarden, Kent on March 14 following a fundraising effort by managing director the sanctuary's leader, who collected half a million pounds to fund her and several other lions from Ukraine.

The Rescue Center

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 immediately the broken tooth was highly inflamed," said the dentist.

He thought the dental issue was caused by a injury sustained over twelve months back, leading to germs producing toxins inside the tooth.

"My philosophy is animal dental problems need to be treated in the most predictable, the least invasive and most secure manner," he said.

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

The Animal Rescue Facility

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 seal the large wound with seven dissolving sutures.

He also performed a root canal treatment on the opposing upper canine tooth, which was discovered to have a similar issue.

Briony Smith, manager at The Big Cat Sanctuary, declared the procedure was a "total triumph."

She noted the team had spotted "a small lump on Lira's jawline" but it had been difficult to determine "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 coming days," added Ms Smith.

The successful surgery marks a significant step in Lira's recovery after her rescue from Ukraine.