🔗 Share this article Rescued from Ukraine Lioness Receives Essential Dental Operation A Wildlife Rescue Center Lira the lioness from The Big Cat Sanctuary undergoing critical dental surgery to remove a severely infected lower right canine tooth A three-year-old female lion rescued from war-torn the war zone has received vital dental surgery to remove a badly decayed fang resulting from an infection. The lioness arrived at The Big Cat Sanctuary in Smarden, Kent on March 14 after a campaign by managing director Cam Whitnall, who collected half a million pounds to support her and four other rescued lions. The Rescue Center Amani and Lira are two of the big cats from Ukraine that arrived in March The procedure was carried out on Friday by dentist Peter Kertesz, who has treated about 450 big cats. "Upon inspecting the lioness's oral cavity, I could see right away the damaged fang was highly inflamed," stated Mr Kertesz. He thought the infection was due to a injury experienced more than a year ago, leading to germs creating toxins inside the tooth. "The approach I follow is animal oral health issues need to be treated in the safest, the least invasive and safest way," he said. The expert explained that as the lioness no longer required to catch prey, removal was the most "logical and humane option." The Animal Rescue Facility Lira's extracted lower right canine tooth was 8cm (3.14 inches) long The sanctuary said the removed fang was 3.14 inches in length, with Mr Kertesz having to extract a accumulated infection from beneath the tooth and seal the significant opening with multiple absorbable stitches. He also performed a dental procedure on the corresponding top fang, which was discovered to have a similar issue. The curator, curator at The Big Cat Sanctuary, declared the procedure was a "complete success." She noted the staff had observed "a minor swelling on Lira's jawline" 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 coming days," added the curator. The successful surgery represents a major milestone in the lioness's healing process after her arrival from the conflict area.