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A Wildlife Rescue Center

A three-year-old lioness rescued from war-torn the war zone has undergone vital oral operation to extract a badly decayed canine tooth resulting from an abscess.

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

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The surgery was performed on Friday by dentist an experienced animal dentist, who has treated about 450 big cats.

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

He believed the dental issue was caused by a trauma experienced over twelve months back, causing bacteria creating harmful substances within the fang.

"My philosophy is non-human dental problems need to be treated in the safest, the least invasive and safest way," he said.

Mr Kertesz explained that as Lira did not need to catch prey, extraction was the most "logical and humane option."

The Animal Rescue Facility

The sanctuary reported the extracted tooth was 3.14 inches in length, with Mr Kertesz having to extract a accumulated infection from beneath the tooth and close the significant opening 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, curator at The Big Cat Sanctuary, declared the operation was a "complete success."

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

"Lira will be a little uncomfortable to begin with, but now that the toxins are out of her body, she will start to feel much better over the coming days," commented Ms Smith.

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