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A Wildlife Rescue Center

A three-year-old lioness rescued from war-torn Ukraine has received vital oral operation to extract a severely infected canine tooth resulting from an infection.

Lira arrived at a wildlife sanctuary in Kent, England on March 14 after a fundraising effort by managing director the sanctuary's leader, who collected half a million pounds to fund her and several other lions from Ukraine.

The Rescue Center

The surgery was carried out on last week by dentist Peter Kertesz, who has cared for hundreds of large felines.

"When I examined the lioness's oral cavity, I could see immediately the broken tooth was severely infected," stated Mr Kertesz.

He thought the infection was caused by a injury experienced more than a year ago, leading to bacteria creating harmful substances inside the tooth.

"My philosophy is animal oral health issues should be addressed in the most predictable, the least invasive and most secure manner," he said.

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

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 large wound with multiple absorbable stitches.

He additionally conducted a root canal treatment on the corresponding top fang, which was also found to be infected.

Briony Smith, curator at the facility, said the procedure was a "complete success."

She noted the team had observed "a minor swelling on Lira's jawline" but it had been difficult to assess "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 begin improving over the next few days," added Ms Smith.

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