An Edinburgh vet surgeon has saved a disfigured bear cub whose tongue was so swollen it had been dragging along the floor.
Nyan htoo, which means 'bright', and his brother were were destined for illegal sale in China before they were rescued as cubs by monks in Myanmar.
After the bears' rescue, the monks realised that Nyan htoo was suffering from a mystery illness that caused his tongue to swell.
Local vets operated on him but after recovery, poor Nyan htoo 's tongue worsened and by June this year, was severely affecting the bear's quality of life.
He was still able to pursue his favourite pastime of playing with his brother but his tongue got in the way, dragging on the floor and getting damaged by his teeth - it was so heavy he had to rest his head against his cage bars to support its weight
But then Heather Bacon, an Edinburgh University-based veterinary surgeon and animal welfare expert, stepped in to help ease little Nyan htoo's suffering.
Joining forces with vet nurse Caroline Nelson and specialist sugeon Romain Pizzi, Heather flew to Myanmar to carry out a tongue amputation in a four-hour operation that removed three kilos of tissue.
After examining the tongue, the experts believe the swelling was down to elephantiasis,caused by a mosquito-borne infection. Nyan htoo is recovering well and is expected to live a happy and healthy life.
Heather Bacon said: "This was an opportunity for us to use our veterinary and animal welfare expertise to make a significant difference for a bear and the people who care for him.
"Thanks to the enthusiasm and compassion of all involved in this uniquely collaborative project, we have been able to make a tangible improvement in the quality of Nyan htoo’s life, and hope to continue our work in Myanmar to promote improvements in animal welfare and veterinary training.”