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A Wildlife Rescue Center

A three-year-old female lion rescued from war-torn Ukraine has received vital oral operation to remove a badly decayed canine tooth caused by an infection.

Lira was brought to The Big Cat Sanctuary in Kent, England on March 14 following a campaign by director the sanctuary's leader, who collected half a million pounds to fund her and four other rescued lions.

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The surgery was carried out on Friday by veterinary dentist Peter Kertesz, who has cared for hundreds of large felines.

"Upon inspecting the lioness's oral cavity, I could see right away the broken tooth was highly inflamed," stated the dentist.

He thought the infection was due to a injury experienced more than a year ago, causing bacteria producing toxins inside the tooth.

"The approach I follow is animal oral health issues need to be treated in the safest, the most conservative and safest way," he said.

The expert explained that as Lira no longer required to catch prey, removal was the most "logical and humane option."

The Animal Rescue Facility

The rescue center said the extracted tooth was 3.14 inches in length, with the dentist having to remove a pocket of pus from under the fang and seal the significant opening with seven dissolving sutures.

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

Briony Smith, manager at the facility, declared the operation was a "complete success."

She noted the team had observed "a small lump on Lira's jawline" but it had been impossible to assess "how serious the condition was."

"Lira 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 coming days," commented the curator.

This vital operation marks a major milestone in Lira's recovery after her arrival from the conflict area.