March 13 (UPI) — A zoo in England said the first brown bear to undergo brain surgery has awakened from hibernation and appears to be back to his old self.
The Wildwood Trust said the bear, named Boki, underwent brain surgery for hydrocephalus — fluid on the brain — in October, just before the animal went into hibernation for the winter.
Veterinarians said at the time that they wouldn’t be sure whether the surgery had been effective until the spring.
The zoo said Boki has now woken up from his hibernation and seems to have made a full recovery.
“What a remarkable transformation we have seen in this young bear,” a zookeeper said in a video posted to social media. “He’s active, he’s playful, he’s exactly the same bear that he started last year out as. So real, real achievement in terms of the operation’s success so far.”
Officials haven’t noted any signs of the symptoms he was suffering from prior to going under the knife.
“It’s like he’s forgotten that he’s had the operation, I don’t think anyone’s told him, and he’s charging around being the young, lovable bear that everybody knows and loves. And it’s just so fantastic to see,” the zookeeper said.
