Buzzoca

Boki underwent brain surgery in October last year. The intervention was performed before he went into torpor, as veterinarians feared he might not wake up.

Boki, a European brown bear, underwent pioneering brain surgery at the Wildwood Trust in Canterbury, UK, in October. Months later, she woke up from hibernation looking “bright, happy and healthy.”

According to Sky News, the bear was suffering from seizures and vision problems due to a build-up of fluid putting pressure on his brain and vets feared that if he was not operated on he might not wake up again from torpor, a dormancy similar to hibernation.

So they decided to carry out a pioneering operation in the UK. The procedure lasted three hours and consisted of passing a tube from the brain to the bladder, under the skin, to drain the fluid.

Wildwood Trust has now announced that the three-year-old animal has made a “remarkable recovery” and has now stopped taking medication.

“He looks bright, happy and healthy and we haven’t seen any negative signs about him. All his personality traits are still there – he’s still the same old Boki that we love,” said Jon Forde, head of the Wilwood Trust.

Boki was rejected by his mother as a cub and was transferred to the Wilwood Trust in December 2022. During his early days, he was kept company by two adult bears, Fluff and Scruff, but had to be separated after he began having seizures.

“While the signs are very positive, we still have to proceed with caution and be careful with the reintroduction of Fluff and Scruff,” said the zoo’s director of operations, Mark Habben, explaining that there may be “boisterous play” that should be minimized “in this early post-torpor phase.”