A brown bear has undergone brain surgery in the first operation of its kind in the UK.
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.
Specialist wildlife veterinary surgeon Romain Pizzi carried out the surgery, which aimed to drain fluid from the bear’s brain, at Wildwood Trust.
Wildwood’s director of zoo operation, Mark Habben, said: “There’s no one better than Romain to perform this operation – an absolute leader in his field and one of the most innovative wildlife surgeons in the world.”
This represents the first time an operation of this kind has been carried out in the UK.
Boki, who is two years old, had been suffering from seizures and related health issues.
Dr Pizzi became the first surgeon to perform a similar operation on a black bear in Asia.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Wildwood Kent posted: “Tomorrow marks a pivotal moment for our beloved brown bear, Boki.
“After a challenging few months, we’ve made the decision to move forward with life-saving surgery to treat his condition.
“After consulting with medical experts and considering at length the ethics of this surgery, we believe wholeheartedly this is the best chance of providing a healthy and enriched life for Boki.”
They added that Boki’s surgery and immediate aftercare will cost £20,000.
To find out more and to donate, visit: wildwoodtrust.org/brown-bear-rescue.
