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The Big Cat Sanctuary

A three-year-old female lion rescued from war-torn the war zone has undergone vital oral operation to remove a badly decayed canine tooth caused by an abscess.

The lioness arrived at The Big Cat Sanctuary in Kent, England on 14 March following a fundraising effort by director the sanctuary's leader, who raised half a million pounds to fund her and several other lions from Ukraine.

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The procedure was performed on last week 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," said the dentist.

He believed the dental issue was due to a injury sustained over twelve months back, leading to bacteria creating toxins inside the tooth.

"The approach I follow is non-human dental problems need to be treated in the safest, the most conservative and safest way," he explained.

Mr Kertesz clarified that as the lioness no longer required to hunt for food, extraction was the most "sensible and ethical solution."

The Animal Rescue Facility

The rescue center reported the extracted tooth was 3.14 inches in length, with the dentist having to remove a pocket of pus from under the fang and close the significant opening with seven dissolving sutures.

He also performed a root canal treatment on the corresponding top fang, which was discovered to have a similar issue.

Briony Smith, manager at The Big Cat Sanctuary, said the procedure was a "complete success."

She noted the staff had observed "a minor swelling on the lioness's face" but it had been difficult to determine "how serious the condition was."

"The lioness will be a little uncomfortable to begin with, but now that the infectious materials are removed from her system, she will start to feel much better over the next few days," added Ms Smith.

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