UK

Boki the bear ‘not out of the woods’ yet after successful brain surgery

Boki the brown bear had surgery in the first operation of its kind in the UK to drain a build-up of fluid in his brain.

Boki, a brown bear at the Wildwood Trust, underwent brain surgery in the first operation of its kind in the UK and is said to be doing well but ‘not out of the woods’ yet
Boki, a brown bear at the Wildwood Trust, underwent brain surgery in the first operation of its kind in the UK and is said to be doing well but ‘not out of the woods’ yet (Gareth Fuller/PA)
By Sarah Ping and Max McLean, PA

A brown bear that underwent brain surgery in the first operation of its kind in the UK is doing well, but “not out of the woods” yet.

Boki, a brown bear at Wildwood Trust near Canterbury, Kent, went under the knife on Wednesday after an MRI scan revealed he had hydrocephalus, a build-up of fluid in the brain.

The two-year-old bear, who had been suffering from seizures and related health issues, is awake and said to be doing well following the special surgery.

An update from the Wildwood Trust said: “We are very pleased to report that Boki is awake and is doing as well as can be expected following his brain surgery yesterday.

“We are, of course, not out of the woods but he has been checked over this morning by Romain Pizzi and our vet, Elliott Simpson-Brown, from IZVG and they are happy with his recovery so far.

Join the Irish News Whatsapp channel

“The team at Wildwood will continue to monitor him closely to make sure he is responding to treatment.”

Boki during the operation to drain fluid from is brain
Boki during the operation to drain fluid from is brain (Gareth Fuller/PA)

Specialist wildlife veterinary surgeon Romain Pizzi carried out the surgery, which aimed to drain fluid from the bear’s brain, at Wildwood Trust.

This represents the first time an operation of this kind has been carried out in the UK, and Dr Pizzi became the first surgeon to perform a similar operation on a black bear in Asia.

Speaking on Thursday, the morning after the surgery, Dr Pizzi said: “You’re always a little bit nervous when you come in a day after an unusual or big operation, and there’s a lot that could have given us problems with Boki, but the good news is he’s actually doing really well this morning.

“He was a little bit sorry for himself, and any animal is going to have a little discomfort after an op, but he’s bright and alert and very mentally active and he’s taking his medication. So far so good.”

Specialist wildlife vet Romain Pizzi performs surgery to drain fluid from the brain of brown bear Boki
Specialist wildlife vet Romain Pizzi performs surgery to drain fluid from the brain of brown bear Boki (Gareth Fuller/PA)

Jon Forde, who is head of bears at Wildwood, called Boki a “unique” bear.

“He’s such a lovely animal. He’s unique. I’ve been a zookeeper for 15 years and there’s no-one else like him,” he said.

The conservation charity said it is fundraising for Boki’s surgery and immediate aftercare costs which is expected to be around £20,000.

To find out more and to donate, visit: wildwoodtrust.org/brown-bear-rescue.