Bear in Kent "sitting up and bright-eyed" after pioneering brain surgery
Boki is recovering well at Wildwood Trust in Canterbury
Last updated 10th Oct 2024
A two year old European Brown Bear, who lives at the Wildwood Trust in Canterbury, is recovering well after undergoing pioneering brain surgery yesterday.
Boki captured the hearts of many, when it was announced that he'd be having an operation to drain fluid from his brain, a potentially life saving procedure.
There were concerns that he may not survive without the operation, if he goes into hibernation.
Boki is the second ever bear to have the operation, the first European Brown Bear to have it, and it is also the first time the procedure is being carried out in the UK.
Why did Boki have the operation?
Staff at the Wildwood Trust first noticed back in April that Boki appeared to be having seizures, and "was not quite himself." An MRI then found that Boki was suffering from hydrocephalus (fluid on the brain).
Initially, his condition was managed with medication, but the effects were starting to wear off, leaving staff with no choice but to operate in order to provide Boki with the best chance at a healthy and enriched life.
Specialist wildlife surgeon Romain Pizzi is the only person to have performed brain surgery on a bear before, so he was chosen as the best man for the job.
We're told that Romain waved his fees to make sure Boki could have the operation.
Despite this, the surgery has costed Wildwood around £20,000.
Surgery day
The process started at about 9am yesterday.
Director General of Wildwood Trust, Paul Whitfield, told us that Boki has a fantastic relationship with the keepers, and came to the fence of his enclosure where he could be hand injected.
Paul explained the procedure, describing how the surgeon drilled into Boki's skull, to the brain, and inserted a stent in order for fluid to drain through a tube and into his bladder.
He said this should be a permanent solution.
Paul assured us that the procedure went "really well," and said that he was very relieved that Boki made it through the night, adding that was "probably one of the most scary things."
Paul told Greatest Hits Radio that the operation took five and a half hours, so, understandably, Boki is still "very tired."
He added that he's sitting up, and he's taken his medication this morning, so the vets are "very happy."
Who is Boki?
Boki is a two-year-old European Brown Bear, born to parents rescued from a Spanish circus.
After being rejected by his mother at ten weeks old, he was hand-reared at Port Lympne.
He was later handed into the care of Wildwood at ten months old, with the Trust being experts in brown bear rehabilitation, it was a good new home for him to learn and grow.
Wildwood say Boki settled straight into his new enclosure, and his new family, their resident bears Fluff and Scruff, took to him immediately, with Boki becoming a little brother to them.
What's next for Boki?
In Wildwood's Facebook update, they stated that "although the surgery is complete, we’re not out of the woods yet."
Paul Whitfield told us that there are ongoing risks now that Boki has had the surgery, but added that "we are very very optimistic that he's going to be alright."