Polar bears in Brno in November

23.11.2025 – Photos by Martina Ho

Martina has visited her white and fluffy friends in the Brno Zoo again. The polar bear trio is doing fine.

Cora was wearing an off-white fur today. 🙂

Hello, Martina! Do you like my new look?

What a nice boomsie you have, Cora!

Anna’s fur was a little whiter but even she had a touch of the ‘muddy look’. 🙂

Looking for hidden treasures?

She has a beautiful face …

…. and a charming smile!

Elsa was posing nicely to Martina’s camera.

I’ve had some problems with my teeth but it’s all history now!

I had a treatment of a tooth fracture in October and everything went well as you can see in the photos taken after the treatment.

Treatment of Elsa’s tooth fracture

Brno Zoo 24.10.2025
The polar bear Elsa was brought to Brno Zoo from Bremerhaven, Germany. According to reports, Elsa had ‘tooth problems’, without specifying the problems further. In her new home, the nurses gradually observed Elsa’s decreased appetite and her generally poorer well-being. Therefore, the management of Brno Zoo decided to check her condition, starting with her oral cavity.

A team of veterinarians was assembled to treat Elsa, whose task was to provide anaesthesia, laboratory examination, clinical and X-ray treatment of the oral cavity, and possible follow-up therapy. The dental team consisted of MVDr. Tomáš Fichtel, Ph.D., and Dr. Ji ří Macek from the Clinic for Dog and Cat Diseases at the Veterinary University in Brno, and Dr. Ján Stan ěk Ph.D.

Normal age-related wear of the teeth was detected in the patient, as well as a serious finding of a fracture of three teeth.

Both mandibular spurs (304/404) and a clipper (402). An X-ray examination revealed so-called periapical rectum (cavity) on both affected tips, indicating that infection is spreading from the tooth cavity to the jawbone. For such affected teeth, the treatment options are extraction or endodontic treatment. Since extraction would mean the loss of both lower tips for Elsa and would also be technically difficult, the team of dentists opted for endodontic treatment. Although this may be associated with a number of other complications and does not rule out later tooth loss, it gives Elsa a chance to preserve important teeth. Extraction was chosen only with the clipper.

In this patient, the damaged crown tips on both teeth were shortened so that the crowns were made of only compact dental tissue. Shortening the crowns will also increase their resistance to pressure. Next, the cavities in both teeth were exposed and a procedure known as pulpectomy was performed, i.e. the removal of necrotic tissue from the pulp. The cavities were then cleaned, mechanically treated and disinfected. This process alone took almost an hour. The cavities in both teeth were then filled with endodontic cement and so-called gutta-percha corks. It was then possible to seal the teeth with cement and composite resin (white filling). The subsequent removal of the incision was then a small conclusion to the entire treatment. According to information from Brno Zoo, Else is doing well after a difficult dental procedure.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

Dr. Tomas Fichtel, doktorgrad
Klinik för hund- och kattsjukdomar VETUNI
Fotos: Prof. Dr. Ji ří Pikula, doktorgrad och Michael Piskula