Boki the brown bear set for brain surgery

A brown bear is set for brain surgery this week in what is thought to be the first operation of its kind in the UK.

Boki, a brown bear at the Wildwood Trust, near Canterbury, Kent, will be operated on after an MRI scan revealed he has hydrocephalus, a build-up of fluid in the brain.

The two-year-old has been suffering from seizures and related health issues.

Romain Pizzi, the first surgeon to perform a similar operation on a black bear in Asia, has agreed to operate on Boki.

A Facebook post from Wildwood Kent earlier in October said "without this surgery (Boki) would not survive the winter".

It added that the surgery and immediate aftercare for Boki would cost £20,000 and that it was "incredibly thankful" Mr Pizzi had "volunteered his time and team".

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