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Rescued bears 'recovering' from broken teeth ops

Craig Buchan
BBC News, South East
IAR A sedated brown bear lies on its back on a silver operating table. One man in blue scrubs looks at the animal, which ahs a tube in its mouth, while another man wearing black medical globes has his fingers in the bear's mouth.IAR
The bears each underwent four-hour operations

Two bears an East Sussex-based charity saved from "filthy" cages have undergone dental surgery.

International Animal Rescue (IAR), headquartered in Uckfield, sent its dental team to Armenia to rescued Syrian brown bears Aram and Noah.

The charity and an Armenian non-profit, the Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets (FPWC), rescued Aram and two other bears in March, shortly after rescuing Noah.

Aram and Noah had broken, decaying teeth and infected gums after "years spent gnawing on iron bars in sheer desperation", according to IAR.

Both bears are "recovering well" from their operations and eating, the charity added.

IAR A bear's teeth, close up. The teeth are yellow and brown, while one clearly has a black infection and another large tooth has been broken off and is appears to have a red centre.IAR
Veterinary dentist Gerhard Putter said the bears "spent many years breaking their teeth by biting cage bars"

In addition to having two molars removed, 240kg Aram had root canal treatment on a canine tooth in the four hours the bear's surgery lasted.

Vets found Noah had a rotten incisor and a fracture running the entire length of a canine, which had allowed an infection to spread to the younger bear's jawbone.

They removed two teeth during Noah's four-hour operation.

IAR president Alan Knight said it is "heart-breaking to imagine the pain" Noah was living in.

Cambridge veterinary dentist Gerhard Putter and IAR trustee Paul Cassar, from Chichester, led the surgeries at FPWC's wildlife rescue centre.

Mr Putter said the operations will allow Noah and Aram to "eat properly again and significantly improve their quality of life".

"These bears had spent many years breaking their teeth by biting cage bars and suffering from poor nutrition," he added.

FPWC and International Animal Rescue A torch spotlight shines on two Syrian brown bears at the back of a dark and damp looking area. The torch emits a white light through the silhouetted wiring of a cage. One bear on the left is standing on its hind legs in front of a grey wall. A bear on the right stares straight into the light of the torch. The ground is covered in mud and dirt.FPWC and International Animal Rescue
Aram was rescued with two other bears in March.

Mr Knight said the team "did an extraordinary job" and he was "proud of what they've achieved for these beautiful bears".

"This isn't the first time we've carried out dental surgery on a bear in Armenia and sadly it won't be the last," he added.

Aram was rescued with partner Nairi and daughter Lola, following a public tip-off to FPWC, after being "confined to filthy cages and denied even the most basic care" at a residence in Yerevan, IAR said in May.

The charity added Noah had "endured long confinement in darkness" when he was found.

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