🔗 Share this article Saved from Ukraine Lioness Undergoes Critical Surgery The Big Cat Sanctuary A lioness named Lira receiving essential dental care to extract a badly infected tooth An adolescent lioness rescued from war-torn Ukraine has undergone critical oral operation to remove a severely infected fang caused by an abscess. Lira arrived at a wildlife sanctuary in Smarden, Kent on 14 March after 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 Amani and Lira are two of the big cats from Ukraine that arrived in March The procedure was performed on last week by dentist Peter Kertesz, who has treated about 450 big cats. "When I examined Lira's jaw and mouth, I could see right away the broken tooth was severely infected," said the dentist. He thought the dental issue was caused by a injury sustained over twelve months back, causing germs creating toxins inside the tooth. "My philosophy is non-human dental problems need to be treated in the most predictable, the most conservative and most secure manner," he said. The expert explained that as the lioness no longer required to hunt for food, extraction was the most "sensible and ethical solution." The Big Cat Sanctuary The removed fang measured 8 centimeters, equivalent to 3.14 inches The sanctuary said the extracted tooth was 8cm (3.14 inches) long, with the dentist having to extract a accumulated infection from under the fang and close the large wound with seven dissolving sutures. He additionally conducted a root canal treatment on the opposing upper canine tooth, which was also found to be infected. Briony Smith, manager at The Big Cat Sanctuary, declared the operation was a "complete success." She said the staff had spotted "a minor swelling on the lioness's face" but it had been difficult to assess "the extent of the problem." "The lioness will be somewhat sore to begin with, but now that the infectious materials are removed from her system, she will start to feel much better over the coming days," added the curator. The successful surgery represents a major milestone in the lioness's healing process after her rescue from Ukraine.