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First Brain Surgery Performed on Bear
National Georgraphic ^ | April 11, 2013 | Michelle Nijhuis

Posted on 04/14/2013 8:48:39 AM PDT by Innovative

An Asiatic black bear at a Laos sanctuary is cured of hydrocephalus.

Free the Bears called on Pizzi, a South African veterinary surgeon who works in Scotland at the Edinburgh Zoo and also at a national wildlife rescue center.

Six weeks after the operation, Champa is markedly more active and more social with other bears, and she is gaining weight. She will always have some brain damage, since the accumulated fluid does cause permanent harm. And she will remain in captivity. But her relief is obvious.

"Operating on one bear won't save bears from extinction, and making life better for one bear won't change the world," said Pizzi. "But the world of that one bear is changed forever."

(Excerpt) Read more at news.nationalgeographic.com ...


TOPICS: Health/Medicine; Pets/Animals; Science
KEYWORDS: bear; brainsurgery; surgery; veterinarian; wildlife
Heartwarming story of the day...

Picture of the bear at the original link.

1 posted on 04/14/2013 8:48:39 AM PDT by Innovative
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To: Innovative

Contemplating a transplant for Biden?


2 posted on 04/14/2013 8:50:27 AM PDT by DPMD
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To: Innovative

We owe it to treat all animals as compassionately as we can.

It may seem silly to do a brain operation on a bear....but everytime we medically treat a bear, or any animal, it gives humans more information and ideas for how to treat humans, even if not always directly or the same way.


3 posted on 04/14/2013 9:14:10 AM PDT by Recovering Ex-hippie (Go Galt!)
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To: Innovative

Did the Bear have insurance? LOL


4 posted on 04/14/2013 9:54:52 AM PDT by ExCTCitizen (Rand Paul/Ben Carson should be the 2016 Ticket!)
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To: blam

The Fed will do anything to get us into the stock market ping.


5 posted on 04/14/2013 11:15:57 AM PDT by jiggyboy (Ten percent of poll respondents are either lying or insane)
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To: Innovative

That is a wonderful story and outcome. Thank you for posting it!

As an aside, there was a item on the news last night about Chimp Haven in Louisiana, a sanctuary for chimps previously used in medical research. Evidently, the NIH is phasing our their use and sending them to Chimp Haven to live out their lives. The news reader was horrified that the cost was $50/day per chimp, while a family on welfare only got $4.40. A most specious argument I have seldom heard.


6 posted on 04/14/2013 11:29:15 AM PDT by LSAggie
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To: jiggyboy
"The Fed will do anything to get us into the stock market ping."

LOL.

Brain surgery to make you a polly-anna.

7 posted on 04/14/2013 12:56:11 PM PDT by blam
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To: Innovative
Surgery performed on Bear.

Jay Cutler?

8 posted on 04/15/2013 3:24:55 AM PDT by Northern Yankee (Where Liberty dwells, there is my Country. - Benjamin Franklin)
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