Six weeks after undergoing life-saving brain surgery, Boki the brown bear is showing a “remarkable recovery,” according to the team at Wildwood Trust.
The surgery, which was considered a last-ditch effort to save the two-year-old bear, has yielded positive results, with keepers noting that Boki is almost “back to his usual self.”
Veterinary surgeon Romain Pizzi performed the procedure, placing a stent in Boki’s brain to alleviate excess fluid thought to be triggering debilitating seizures.
Mark Habben, the director of zoo operations at Wildwood Trust, expressed his admiration for Boki’s recovery, saying, “We are amazed at how far he has come and are incredibly thankful to Dr. Pizzi and everyone who played a role in bringing Boki back to his lively, carefree self—just like the bear we met nearly two years ago.” Wildwood Trust took Boki in from Port Lympne Safari Park in December 2022.
A representative from Wildwood shared that a key indicator of Boki’s progress post-surgery is his significant weight gain. He has put on 20kg (44lbs), bringing his current weight to about 140kg (308lbs).
Recently, keepers noticed that Boki began to slow down, showing early signs of entering torpor (semi-hibernation) for the first time.
Boki made history as the first brown bear to undergo brain surgery. The procedure was prompted by a diagnosis of hydrocephalus, a condition involving a build-up of fluid in the brain. The decision to operate was made in the hopes of improving his quality of life.
Dr. Pizzi, who has previously performed successful brain surgeries on bears, remarked that the surgery “appears to have been successful in enhancing Boki’s health.”
This was Dr. Pizzi’s second successful brain surgery on a bear, following a similar operation on a black bear with hydrocephalus in Asia in 2013.