A brown bear that underwent brain surgery in the first operation of its kind in the UK is doing well but is “not out of the woods” yet, a charity has said.
Boki went under the knife on Wednesday after an MRI scan revealed he had hydrocephalus, a buildup of fluid in the brain.
The two-year-old mammal, who had been suffering from seizures and related health issues, is awake and said to be doing well after the surgery.
A specialist wildlife veterinary surgeon, Romain Pizzi, carried out the operation, which aimed to drain fluid from the bear’s brain, at Wildwood Trust, a wildlife park near Canterbury in Kent.
It was the first time a procedure of this kind has been carried out in the UK. Pizzi previously became the first surgeon to perform a similar operation on a black bear in Asia.
The Wildwood Trust said on Thursday: “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 (International Zoo Veterinary Group) and they are happy with his recovery so far.
“The team at Wildwood will continue to monitor him closely to make sure he is responding to treatment.”
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.”
The conservation charity is fundraising for Boki’s surgery and immediate aftercare costs, which is expected to be about £20,000.
