Aurora The Bear Cub All Smiles After Dental Operation
Aurora, an 11 month old polar bear cub, is all smiles after undergoing dental treatment. The young bear cub was abandoned by her mother and is now being cared for by the team at the Assiniboine Park Zoo in Winnipeg.
Aurora was discovered in October in Churchill; at the time she was very thin and looked unhealthy, but she is now gaining weight and looking much better. During a routine examination carried out shortly after she was found, vets discovered that the cub had some broken teeth and she underwent dental surgery at the zoo.
The team of vets in charge of the operation was lead by Dr Colleen O’Morrow. Aurora was sedated and the team removed two broken baby teeth and an adult tooth; the baby bear was also vaccinated against rabies at the same time.
Dr Chris Enright, head of veterinary services at the zoo, said that dental problems are fairly common in the wild, but the team wanted to address them as quickly as possible to enable Aurora to eat properly and prevent her from feeling pain.
Aurora is now recovering at the International Polar Bear Conservation Centre and Dr Enright is hoping that she will soon be fit and ready to meet the zoo’s newest addition, bear cub Kaska, who was born last November.
Dr Enright said that he is hopeful that Aurora will make a full recovery and she will soon be charging around having fun with her new companion, Kaska. She has already gained 7kg in weight and her new friend will give her a sense of companionship.
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