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A Wildlife Rescue Center

An adolescent lioness saved from war-torn the war zone has undergone critical oral operation to extract a severely infected fang caused by an abscess.

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

The Rescue Center

The surgery was carried out on last week by veterinary dentist Peter Kertesz, who has treated about 450 big cats.

"When I examined the lioness's oral cavity, I could see right away the damaged fang was severely infected," said the dentist.

He thought the infection was due to a injury experienced over twelve months back, causing germs producing harmful substances inside the tooth.

"The approach I follow is non-human oral health issues should be addressed in the safest, the most conservative and safest way," he explained.

The expert explained that as Lira no longer required to hunt for food, extraction was the most "sensible and ethical solution."

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The rescue center said the extracted tooth was 8cm (3.14 inches) long, with Mr Kertesz having to remove a pocket of pus from beneath the tooth and close 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 Big Cat Sanctuary, said the procedure was a "complete success."

She said the team had observed "a minor swelling on the lioness's face" but it had been impossible to determine "how serious the condition was."

"The lioness will be a little uncomfortable to initially, but now that the toxins are removed from her system, she will start to feel much better over the next few days," commented Ms Smith.

This vital operation marks a significant step in the lioness's healing process after her arrival from the conflict area.