🔗 Share this article Saved from Ukraine Lion Receives Critical Dental Operation A Wildlife Rescue Center A lioness named Lira receiving essential dental care to extract a badly infected tooth A three-year-old female lion rescued from conflict-ridden the war zone has undergone critical dental surgery to remove a severely infected fang resulting from an infection. The lioness was brought to a wildlife sanctuary in Smarden, Kent on 14 March following a campaign by director Cam Whitnall, who collected £500,000 to support her and several other lions from Ukraine. The Big Cat Sanctuary Amani and Lira are two of the big cats from Ukraine that arrived in March The surgery was carried out on last week by dentist Peter Kertesz, who has treated about 450 big cats. "Upon inspecting Lira's jaw and mouth, I could see immediately the broken tooth was highly inflamed," stated the dentist. He thought the dental issue was caused by a injury sustained over twelve months back, leading to bacteria creating harmful substances inside the tooth. "My philosophy is non-human dental problems should be addressed in the most predictable, the least invasive and safest way," he said. Mr Kertesz explained that as Lira no longer required to catch prey, extraction was the most "sensible and ethical solution." The Animal Rescue Facility The removed fang measured 8 centimeters, equivalent to 3.14 inches The rescue center said the removed fang was 8cm (3.14 inches) long, with the dentist having to extract 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 "total triumph." She noted the staff had observed "a small lump on the lioness's face" but it had been impossible to assess "how serious the condition was." "The lioness will be a little uncomfortable to begin with, but now that the infectious materials are out of her body, she will start to feel much better over the coming days," added Ms Smith. The successful surgery represents a major milestone in the lioness's healing process after her arrival from the conflict area.