Bella Update
27th January 2009
Bella’s eye is still showing no complications after the cataract removal on 9th December. It is interesting seeing the extent of her vision when she moves off the smooth concrete and goes out onto the grassy slope at the back of her enclosure. Sometimes she walks very slowly and carefully picking her way through the long grass and bushes. At other times, when something attracts her attention at the top of the slope, she will bound towards it confidently. Born Free’s senior veterinary consultant, John Knight, says that when Bella is tentative in her movements, this will probably be because she cannot focus at short distances and so placing her front feet is more difficult (she does not know what she is placing them on) and also she cannot anticipate the proximity of undergrowth before it hits her face. At medium and longer distances her sight is much better, and also she will be more sensitive, and so more responsive, to movement.
If we had inserted a replacement lens into Bella’s eye after the cataract removal, then she would have near-sighted vision as well. However, unlike a pet dog or cat that can be handled, the long-term, follow-up care needed would have been almost impossible to carry out effectively, and would have been very stressful for Bella, so the decision was taken not to replace her lens. We are delighted that she now appears to have good medium and long-sighted vision at least. Before the operation everything would have been a blur.
Bella is relaxed and confident in her new home which is lovely to see, and continues to enjoy having regular meals and a varied diet - a far cry from the slimy, grey necks and wings from factory-farmed chickens she was fed on before.
We are still working on the lengthy process of securing all the necessary permits, and arranging the flights and overland travel to the Lilongwe Wildlife Centre, but we hope it won’t be much longer before Bella can exchange the Romanian winter weather for the sunshine in Malawi.
January 2009
We have been sent some lovely photos of Bella in the snow at her temporary home in Brasov Zoo. They have been sent by Dr Ion Brumar, the vet who cares for her. Apparently she hasn’t been too keen to go out in the snow, preferring to remain in her heated indoor quarters, but it was a beautiful sunny day when the photos were taken and obviously Bella felt like stretching her legs. It seems very clear, from one of the photos, that she is stalking the photographer using her eyesight, not her hearing or sense of smell. Ion is convinced her vision is very much improved.
18th December 2008 BELLA – Cataract removal went well.
Can Bella see now? It certainly seems so.
Bella had her cataract removed on Tuesday 9th December, and all appears to have gone well. As with the removal of her eye in October, Bella had the benefit of an international team of experts. Veterinary ophthalmic specialist, David Donaldson, from the Animal Health Trust in Suffolk performed the operation, with the Born Free Foundation’s Senior Veterinary Consultant John Knight responsible for handling and anaesthesia. Dr Ion Brumar, Brasov Zoo’s vet, and vets from the Kronvet Clinic, and Dr Iuliana Popescu from the Ophthalmic Department of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Bucharest were all on hand to assist. This time they were joined by Mrs Ingeborg Fromberg and Mr Brian Rees from Acrivet, the veterinary department of S&V Tecnologies in Germany – Acrivet had generously loaned the portable hi-tech ‘phacoemulsification’ kit “Alexos” (this is specially designed for veterinary use and allows work to be carried out on larger animals) and a head mounted operating microscope needed to remove Bella’s cataract. As this is very recently developed equipment the Acrivet representatives were present to advise on its use. With so many donating their time and travel and expertise this operation has seemed a real labour of love.
In the past, cataracts would have been dealt with by cutting into the eyeball and pealing out the damaged lens. However, with the ‘phaco’ kit, the front capsule of the lens is removed and then ultrasound is directed at the lens, using a special handset, which liquefies the hardened cataract material within the lens allowing it to be aspirated from the eye.
This phacoemulsification technique generally has fewer complications and allows for faster healing. This is particularly important with a wild animal, as the after-care you can give it limited. With your pet cat you could wrap it in a towel and put in eye drops daily. We can’t do this with Bella!
The veterinary team involved have been very pleased with how Bella’s operation went. There were no complications and, although it is still early days, her behaviour suggests that her vision has already improved. Just hours after coming round from the operation, she was seen gazing intently at the sky above, as if looking at the clouds, behaviour not seen before by Dr Ion Brumar who cares for her. He also reports that when he approaches the bars of her cage she now comes straight over to him, as if she sees him, rather than waiting until she can smell or hear his presence. And she has been seen stalking Oscar, a male lion living next door. Her eyelids are fully open too, suggesting she is not in any discomfort.
- Bella stalking Oscar, a male lion living next door. She certainly appears to see him! (photo Dr Dr Ion Brumar)
Bella has been observed standing at the gate that leads to the grassy, wooded enclosure at the back of her house, as if asking to be let out, but she must wait for her eye to have healed before we can allow this. In the meantime she needs to stay by her heated, indoor quarters. However, we hope it won’t be long before a whole new world starts opening up to Bella.
The Born Free Foundation and the Lion’s Roar team who did so much to improve her life in Buhusi Zoo, and who are contributing to her life-time care, are very grateful to everyone who helped make this surgery and care possible, through their time or the donations so generously donated to her rescue fund. However, we are still in need funds to enable the rescue to go ahead, and for her life-time care at Lilongwe Wildlife Centre in Malawi.
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