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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 caused by an infection.

Lira arrived at a wildlife sanctuary in Kent, England on 14 March following a campaign by director the sanctuary's leader, who collected £500,000 to support her and four other rescued lions.

The Rescue Center

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

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

He believed the dental issue was due to a injury experienced more than a year ago, leading to germs creating toxins within the fang.

"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 explained that as Lira did not need to hunt for food, removal was the most "logical and humane option."

The Animal Rescue Facility

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

He also performed a dental procedure on the opposing upper canine tooth, which was discovered to have a similar issue.

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

She said the staff had spotted "a small lump on the lioness's face" but it had been difficult to determine "the extent of the problem."

"The lioness will be a little uncomfortable to begin with, but now that the toxins are removed from her system, she will begin improving over the next few days," commented Ms Smith.

This vital operation marks a significant step in Lira's recovery after her rescue from Ukraine.