Picture: First bear to undergo brain surgery

Champa (pictured), who lives at a sanctuary in the mountains of northern Laos, underwent the six hour procedure after staff suspected she was suffering from hydrocephalus. While in most Western countries an animal with the condition would be put down, the strong Buddhist traditions in Laos, and the technicalities of its wildlife protection laws, meant this bear underwent keyhole surgery. Champa has spent most of her life at the Free the Bears sanctuary, situated about 20 miles south of Luang Prabang