A vet has performed life-saving surgery on his biggest patient yet – a 900lb bear.

Paul Cassar, a veterinary dentist from Chichester, was a member of a four-strong International Animal Rescue (IAR) team tasked with saving the bear, called Misha, which was thought to have escaped captivity.

She was found on the outskirts of an Armenian village and could not eat properly due to broken teeth and decaying gums.

Paul, 63, travelled to Armenia with the team to perform the gruelling five-hour operation with fellow vets Jonathan Cracknell, Aurora Mateo and Gerhard Putter.

He said: “As a dentist and trustee [of IAR] I was in a very fortunate position to be able to help in this way.

The Argus: Misha the bearMisha the bear (Image: SWNS)

“With Lisa and Gerhard and Aurora along with other vets we have built up a very successful treatment model and we all feel very privileged and proud to help these magnificent animals.”

Paul has previously worked with bears in India as well as performing surgery on monkeys in Indonesia.

An anaesthetist darted Misha so that Paul and the team could carry out the surgery.

As Misha had broken teeth and could not eat properly she was “extremely malnourished”.

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The procedure was deemed a success and Misha is now recovering.

Alan Knight, chief executive of International Animal Rescue who organised the operation, said: “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.

“This year we are building a new, bigger rescue centre for those bears.

“We rely entirely on public donations to fund this lifesaving work and our supporters are always so generous.”

International Animal Rescue was founded in 1989 and is “dedicated to ending animal suffering, whilst protecting the environment for people and planet.”