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A Wildlife Rescue Center

A three-year-old lioness saved from conflict-ridden the war zone has undergone critical dental surgery to extract a badly decayed fang caused by an abscess.

The lioness was brought to a wildlife sanctuary in Smarden, Kent on March 14 after a fundraising effort 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 carried out on Friday by veterinary dentist an experienced animal dentist, who has cared for hundreds of large felines.

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

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

"My philosophy is non-human dental problems should be addressed in the most predictable, the most conservative and safest way," he said.

Mr Kertesz clarified that as the lioness no longer required to hunt for food, removal was the most "sensible and ethical solution."

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The rescue center said the extracted tooth was 3.14 inches in length, with Mr Kertesz having to extract a pocket of pus from beneath the tooth and seal the large wound 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.

The curator, manager at the facility, said the procedure was a "complete success."

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

"Lira will be a little uncomfortable to initially, but now that the toxins are out of her body, she will begin improving over the coming days," added Ms Smith.

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