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A Wildlife Rescue Center

An adolescent female lion saved from conflict-ridden the war zone has undergone vital oral operation to remove a badly decayed fang resulting from an abscess.

The lioness was brought to The Big Cat Sanctuary in Smarden, Kent on 14 March after a campaign by director the sanctuary's leader, who raised £500,000 to support her and four other rescued lions.

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The procedure was carried out on Friday by veterinary dentist Peter Kertesz, who has treated about 450 big cats.

"When I examined Lira's jaw and mouth, I could see right away the damaged fang was highly inflamed," said the dentist.

He thought the dental issue was due to a injury sustained more than a year ago, leading to bacteria creating toxins within the fang.

"My philosophy is animal oral health issues should be addressed in the most predictable, the most conservative and safest way," he said.

Mr Kertesz explained that as the lioness no longer required to catch prey, extraction was the most "sensible and ethical solution."

The Animal Rescue Facility

The sanctuary reported the extracted tooth was 8cm (3.14 inches) long, with the dentist having to remove a accumulated infection from beneath the tooth and close the large wound with multiple absorbable stitches.

He also performed a dental procedure on the opposing upper canine tooth, which was also found to be infected.

Briony Smith, manager at the facility, said the operation was a "total triumph."

She said the team had observed "a small lump on the lioness's face" but it had been difficult to assess "how serious the condition was."

"Lira will be a little uncomfortable to begin with, but now that the toxins are out of her body, she will begin improving over the next few days," added Ms Smith.

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