By Isobel Williams

These pictures show dentists working on a lion - removing a massive infected canine while the 140kg big cat was sedated.

Three-year-old female Lira had the 8cm tooth taken out at the Big Cat Sanctuary in Smarsden, Kent last week.

Experienced dentist Peter Kertesz drained a pocket of pus from beneath the tooth before the large wound was

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

Kertesz, of Zoodent International , estimated the infection was likely caused by a trauma sustained when Lira was between 1.5 and two years old, leading to bacteria producing toxins inside the tooth.

The dentist said, “When I examined Lira’s jaw and mouth, I could see immediately that the broken tooth was severely infected.

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