14 DAY TRIAL // A three-year-old female Asiatic black bear named Champa is now getting tons of media attention, all thanks to her being the first bear ever to undergo brain surgery.
Sources say that Champa lives at an animal sanctuary located in the northern regions of Laos, and that the Buddhist traditions held by those looking after her forced them into ruling out euthanasia as a “solution” for the bear's medical condition (i.e. hydrocephalus, also known as water on the brain).
Prior to her being operated on by veterinary surgeon Pizzi, the bear is believed to have experienced powerful migraines on a regular basis. Furthermore, it appears that she also had difficulties seeing.
The surgery mainly consisted in inserting one end of a tube into the animal's brain and the other end into her stomach. This will make it possible for the excess fluid inside the bear's skull to drain into her abdominal cavity and be absorbed by her body.
The surgery took place about six weeks ago, and Champa appears to be recovering just fine.