Moment polar bear in Yorkshire visited dentist for check-up... helped by nurses and firefighters

Thirty people were enlisted by a wildlife park to give a polar bear a dental check-up.

Yorkshire Wildlife Park drafted in rangers, nurses, vets, firefighters and a dentist to inspect Victor’s teeth after keepers spotted one tooth was a different colour.

The 18-year-old bear was lifted onto a makeshift operating table where all his 42 teeth were checked as well as an x-ray.

He received the all-clear after two hours of treatment before he was allowed to roam the grounds in Doncaster.

Animal collections manager Simon Marsh explained: “We could see that one of Victor´s canine teeth looked a slightly different colour to the rest of his teeth so we wanted to investigate and it was an opportunity to give him a full MOT.

“To bring all the specialists together took a month to plan. We are delighted that it all went very well, thanks to the efforts of a dedicated team.

“Victor was very relaxed and was quickly back to his old self after the two-hour procedure.

“He has made a full recovery from the experience and initial findings are that he is very well for an 18-year-old bear.”