A brown bear who underwent brain surgery in the first operation of its kind in the UK is doing well but “not out of the woods yet”, a charity has said.
Boki went under the knife on Wednesday after an MRI 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 problems, is awake and said to be doing well after surgery.
A specialist wildlife veterinarian, Romain Pizzi, carried out the operation, which aimed to drain fluid from the bear's brain, at Wildwood Belief, a wildlife park near Canterbury in Kent.
It was the first time such a procedure had been carried out in the UK. Pizzi previously became the first surgeon to perform an operation related to a black bear in Asia.
The Wildwood Belief said Thursday: “We are very happy to report that Boki is awake and doing as well as can be expected after his brain surgery yesterday.
“Of course, we are not out of the woods, but Romain Pizzi and our vet, Elliott Simpson-Brown, from IZVG (Worldwide Zoo Veterinary Group) checked on him this morning and are happy with his recovery so far.
“The Wildwood team will continue to monitor him closely to make sure he is responding to treatment.”
Pizzi said: “You're always a little nervous when you arrive the day after a big or unusual operation, and there are a lot of things that could have caused us problems with Boki, but the good news is that he's actually doing very well this morning. .
“He felt a little sorry for himself, and any animal is going to feel a little unwell after an operation, but he is bright, alert and mentally very active and is taking his medication. So far, so good.”
The conservation charity is raising funds for Boki's surgery and immediate aftercare costs, which are expected to be around £20,000.