Cambridge vet performs 'world first' operation to save tiger's eye

  • Watch a clip of the surgery here

A tiger's eye at a wildlife park near Cambridge has been saved in what's believed to be the first ever operation of its type on a big cat.

Ratna, a 17-year-old Sumatran tiger, lives at Shepreth Wildlife Park in Royston.

Staff there noticed her left eye was deteriorating and it was discovered she had a corneal ulcer.

  • Watch the video below to hear the vet who performed her surgery, Dr David Williams, explain why the big cat needed to be operated on

This type of surgery is quite common in dogs and cats, but unsurprisingly it took a lot more anaesthetic than usual to carry out the op on a tiger.

Ratna had cataract surgery before she and her daughter were moved to the wildlife park in early 2019.

Ratna's left eye was deteriorating. Credit: Shepreth Wildlife Park

An initial operation to treat the deteriorating eye was carried out in February, but did not have the desired effect.

The next day, Dr David Williams, an ophthalmologist at the Queens Veterinary School Hospital at the University of Cambridge, together with International Zoo Veterinary Group vet Steve Philp, carried out what is believed to be a world-first operation on the big cat.

Since the operation, Ratna's been given a clean bill of health. Credit: Shepreth Wildlife Park

Dr Williams has now given Ratna a clean bill of health.

  • Hear more from Dr David Williams below