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A Wildlife Rescue Center

An adolescent lioness rescued from conflict-ridden Ukraine has received vital dental surgery to extract a badly decayed canine tooth caused by an abscess.

The lioness was brought to a wildlife sanctuary in Kent, England on 14 March after a campaign by director Cam Whitnall, who raised half a million pounds to fund her and four other rescued lions.

The Rescue Center

The surgery was performed 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 immediately the broken tooth was severely infected," said Mr Kertesz.

He believed the dental issue was caused by a trauma experienced more than a year ago, causing germs creating harmful substances inside the tooth.

"The approach I follow is animal oral health issues need to be treated in the most predictable, the most conservative and safest way," he said.

The expert clarified that as Lira did not need to catch prey, removal was the most "sensible and ethical solution."

The Animal Rescue Facility

The sanctuary reported the extracted tooth was 3.14 inches in length, with the dentist having to extract a accumulated infection from under the fang and close the large wound with multiple absorbable stitches.

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

The curator, manager at The Big Cat Sanctuary, declared the procedure was a "complete success."

She said the team had observed "a small lump on Lira's jawline" but it had been impossible 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 start to feel much better over the coming days," commented the curator.

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