Rescued Ukrainian lion undergoes critical surgery

Lira the lioness from The Big Cat Sanctuary undergoing critical dental surgery to remove a severely infected lower right canine tooth

A three-year-old lioness rescued from war-torn Ukraine has undergone critical dental surgery to remove a severely infected canine tooth caused by an abscess.

Lira arrived at The Big Cat Sanctuary in Smarden, Kent, on 14 March following a campaign by managing director Cam Whitnall, who raised £500,000 to fund her and four other rescued lions.

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

"When I examined Lira's jaw and mouth, I could see immediately the broken tooth was severely infected," said Mr Kertesz.

Amani and Lira are two of the big cats from Ukraine that arrived in March

He believed the infection was caused by a trauma sustained more than a year ago, leading to bacteria producing toxins inside the tooth.

"My philosophy is non-human dental problems need to be treated in the most predictable, the least invasive and safest way," he said.

Mr Kertesz explained as Lira did not need to catch prey, extraction was the most "sensible and ethical solution".

The sanctuary 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 seven dissolving sutures.

Lira's extracted lower right canine tooth was 8cm (3.14 inches) long

He also performed a root canal treatment on the opposing upper canine tooth, which was also found to be infected.

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

She said the staff had noticed "a small lump on Lira's jawline" but it had been impossible to tell "the extent of the problem".

"Lira will be a little uncomfortable to begin with, but now that the toxins are out of her body, she will start to feel much better over the coming days," added Ms Smith.