Our expert dental team is setting off from the UK to relieve the pain of rescued bear Misha in our sanctuary in Armenia.
Our partners FPWC rescued the brown bear in 2023 after he was found wandering on the outskirts of an Armenian village. It’s likely he had escaped from captivity or been abandoned and left to fend for himself. During a medical check while he was under anaesthetic, it was discovered that most of Misha’s teeth were broken or decaying and his gums were infected and swollen. He had clearly spent years gnawing on the bars of a cage. Misha was in desperate need of dental surgery but would need to be much healthier and stronger in order to cope with a prolonged period under anaesthetic.
The rescue team took Misha to our bear sanctuary in Urtsadzor where he was placed in quarantine and given a thorough veterinary check-up to assess his condition: he was described by the vet as ‘severely malnourished.’ Since then Misha has received specialist care to improve his health and prepare him for the rigours of a long and complex surgery.
IAR President Alan Knight says: “Misha’s surgery is likely to be a particularly long and challenging one. The vets all agree that his teeth and gums are in a dreadful state and in urgent need of treatment and repair. The poor bear has clearly been living in agony for years and it’s high time his pain was brought to an end. We’re very grateful to the dental team for volunteering their time to treat Misha and to our supporters who have helped fund this mercy mission.”
The dental team comprises Paul Cassar, IAR Trustee and dentist from Chichester; Gerhard Putter, veterinary dental specialist based in Cambridge and Jonathan Cracknell, veterinary surgeon specialising in wildlife and anaesthetics, based in Merseyside; and Aurora Mateo, IAR trustee and veterinary dental specialist from Spain. Over the years this group of experts has made numerous trips to IAR’s rescue centres and treated a whole range of exotic wildlife including lions, tigers, bears and orangutans.
Speaking on behalf of the team, Paul states: “Every trip over the last 20 years has been special and memorable - how could they not be! Training the local vets in India to continue working on the rescued sloth bears in our absence was a very proud and rewarding experience. Truly a highlight!
“Misha appears to have multiple dental problems and we’ll only know what is achievable once we assess him clinically and radiographically. But with Jonathan on anaesthetics, and working with Gerhard and Aurora, we have a powerful and experienced team and I imagine Misha will benefit hugely from our interventions.”
Alan concludes: “This is not the first time we’ve carried out dental surgery on a bear in Armenia and sadly it won’t be the last. We believe there may still be as many as 50 caged bears in need of rescue – and living in terrible pain and squalor, just as Misha was.
“We rely entirely on public donations to fund this lifesaving work and our supporters are always so generous. I know times are still tough for many of us but anyone reading about our efforts to end the suffering of Misha and other bears who would like to help fund our work can do so at: https://www.internationalanimalrescue.org/appeal/mishas-surgery