Beloved brown bear Boki recovering after 'world first' brain surgery at Wildwood Trust in Kent

Video shows how a beloved brown bear went through a pioneering five-hour operation - and is now on the mend. Two-year-old Boki had been suffering from seizures, and was unlikely to survive the winter without the life-saving surgery at the Wildwood Trust, in Kent.

Now, Boki is said to be recovering well - and is up and and moving around in his enclosure while being closely monitored. Boki was diagnosed with hydrocephalus, a condition where fluid builds up in the brain, and on Wednesday 9th October, led by world-renowned veterinary surgeon Romain Pizzi he had the life-saving operation to help drain the excess fluid.

A spokesperson for Wildwood Trust said: “Using cutting-edge keyhole surgery, a stent was carefully fitted between Boki’s brain and abdomen to help drain the excess fluid. Boki was anaesthetised and carefully monitored by our incredible vet team, led by Elliott Simpson-Brown from IZVG.

Our dedicated team at Wildwood assisted our 125kg bear to the operating table, where the procedure was performed.”

Boki was adopted in December 2022, as a 10-month old bear cub in desperate need of a home. After being rejected by his mother at just ten weeks old, Boki was hand-reared at Port Lympne. As he started to grow, it was clear he needed a new home where he could learn how to be a bear, somewhere he would have the space to play and explore, and other ears to teach him natural bear behaviours - so he moved into his new home at Wildwood.

To learn more, or to donate to Wildwood Trust and help fund their work, visit https://www.wildwoodtrust.org/brown-bear-rescue