Brown Bear Makes History with Successful Brain Surgery and Recovery

Three-year-old Boki, the first brown bear to undergo brain surgery, emerges from semi-hibernation in good health at the Wildwood Trust in Kent.

Boki, a European brown bear, underwent pioneering brain surgery in October 2024 to treat hydrocephalus, a condition causing fluid build-up on the brain.
The surgery, led by veterinary surgeon Romain Pizzi, involved placing a stent to drain excess fluid from Boki's brain to his abdomen, marking the first such procedure on a brown bear.
Following the operation, Boki was weaned off medication and entered torpor (semi-hibernation), emerging recently in good health with no adverse effects observed.
Wildwood Trust staff report that Boki retains his personality traits and has grown during his winter dormancy, though he lost 30kg and will need to regain weight gradually.
Plans are underway to cautiously reintroduce Boki to two adult bears, Fluff and Scruff, after his recovery disrupted earlier integration efforts.