UK

Boki the brown bear set for brain surgery this week

The operation will be the first of its kind performed in the UK.

The two-year-old bear lives at the Wildwood Trust, near Canterbury, Kent
The two-year-old bear lives at the Wildwood Trust, near Canterbury, Kent (Gareth Fuller/PA)

A brown bear is set for brain surgery this week in the first operation of its kind in the UK.

Boki, a brown bear at the Wildwood Trust, near Canterbury, Kent, will be operated on later this week after an MRI scan revealed he has hydrocephalus, a build-up of fluid in the brain.

Boki has been diagnosed with hydrocephalus
Boki has been diagnosed with hydrocephalus (Gareth Fuller/PA)

Boki, who is two-years-old, has been suffering from seizures and related health issues.

This will be the first time such an operation has been performed in the UK.

Boki has been suffering from seizures and related health issues
Boki has been suffering from seizures and related health issues (Gareth Fuller/PA)

Romain Pizzi, the first surgeon to perform a similar operation on a black bear in Asia, has agreed to operate on Boki.

Join the Irish News Whatsapp channel

A Facebook post from Wildwood Kent earlier in October said “without this surgery (Boki) would not survive the winter”.

Surgeon Romain Pizzi has agreed to operate on Boki
Surgeon Romain Pizzi has agreed to operate on Boki (Gareth Fuller/PA)

It added that the surgery and immediate aftercare for Boki would cost £20,000 and that it was “incredibly thankful” Mr Pizzi had “volunteered his time and team” to the case.

To find out more visit: wildwoodtrust.org/brown-bear-rescue.