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The Big Cat Sanctuary

An adolescent lioness saved from war-torn the war zone has received vital oral operation to extract a severely infected canine tooth resulting from an infection.

Lira was brought to The Big Cat Sanctuary in Kent, England on March 14 following a fundraising effort by director the sanctuary's leader, who raised £500,000 to fund her and four other rescued lions.

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The procedure was carried out on Friday by dentist an experienced animal dentist, who has cared for hundreds of large felines.

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

He believed the infection was caused by a injury sustained more than a year ago, causing germs creating toxins within the fang.

"My philosophy is non-human oral health issues need to be treated in the safest, the most conservative and safest way," he said.

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

The Animal Rescue Facility

The rescue center said the removed fang was 8cm (3.14 inches) long, with the dentist having to remove a accumulated infection from beneath the tooth and close the large wound with multiple absorbable stitches.

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

Briony Smith, curator at the facility, said the procedure was a "total triumph."

She noted the staff had observed "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 removed from her system, she will begin improving over the coming days," commented Ms Smith.

The successful surgery marks a major milestone in the lioness's healing process after her arrival from the conflict area.