TACOMA — Boris the 29-year-old polar bear at the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium in Tacoma is eating only soft foods for a while after surgery to remove three broken or decayed teeth.
The 880-pound bear didn’t have to sit in a dentist’s chair.
The dental surgery was performed by veterinarians and support staff Friday at the zoo.
The zoo says Boris is one of the oldest polar bears in North American zoos. He’s lived nearly twice as long as polar bears in the wild.
Boris came to the zoo in 2002 after he was rescued from a traveling circus. He’s one of three polar bears at the zoo’s Arctic tundra exhibit.
