Speedy recovery Puntung! ❤️️
Puntung Update:
Today, we breathe a huge sigh of relief after successful surgery on Puntung, one of only two female Sumatran rhinos still alive in Malaysia.
Two molar teeth and one premolar from Puntung's left upper jaw were successfully extracted during an operation that in total lasted two hours and twenty minutes this morning. Severe calcificativets were found on one large molar, which is where bacteria initially accumulated and led to the abscess. The calcification had also loosened two adjacent teeth.
She's now missing three teeth, but the most important thing, is that Puntung is ok. And we are overjoyed that she finally received the treatment that she needed and is now on the road to recovery.
All of us at BORA, are extremely grateful to everyone involved in this operation. Dr Johan Marais and Dr Zoe Glyphis from Saving The Survivors - NPC, Dr Abraham Matthew from the Singapore Zoo, Dr Tum Chinkangsadarn from Bangkok animal dental services, Dr Zainal Zainuddin from Borneo Rhino Alliance, and vets and officials from Sabah Wildlife Department as well as Department of Wildlife and National Parks Peninsular Malaysia. Your efforts have given Puntung a new lease of life.
We want to sincerely thank each of you as well. Your kind donations, spreading of awareness, and words of support, have encouraged us and helped us to save one of the world's most critically endangered animals.
Now comes a period of post operation care which will mean trying to keep Puntung clean, stress-free and under medication.
But being the trooper that she is, we believe Puntung will soon be back on her feet and ready to enjoy herself in her mud wallow. In the mean time, we'll cater to her appetite, which she still has in abundance. Here's the beautiful Puntung enjoying her lunch within two hours of the operation.
It's a good day.
#HopeForPuntung
