By Julian Lee
One of New Zealand’s only bears was anaesthetised for a root canal operation at Wellington Zoo today.
Sean the sun bear had an infected tooth and zoo staff were worried it could cause more serious damage.
Wellington Zoo’s Paul Horton says it was vital the tooth was removed in order to prevent Sean from developing dangerous diseases such as septicaemia.
“It may not get infected but there’s every chance he’ll get an infection from that," he says. "It can be life-threatening at the end of the day."
Sean and his daughter Sasa are the smallest and least-known of eight bear species worldwide, and the only bears in New Zealand.
Mr Horton said the zoo is well-equipped to deal with these sorts of medical contingencies.
“Surgery has inherent risks so we’ve got a pretty special team here. We’ve got a zoo team obviously that deal with wildlife patients pretty regularly.”
The operation took place in the zoo’s special viewing theatre ‘The Nest’ - a theatre which can be viewed by the public through a glass panel. About 40 children and their parents watched the operation take place.
The zoo’s vets expect Sean will recover from the operation in no time at all.
3 News