Diana and Wan Wan's Eye Surgeries - A Big Success!
Last month, we found out that Diana and Wan Wan, our two lovely sun bears, had cataracts in their left eyes. With the amazing help of both vet and human eye specialists, we were able to carry out successful cataract surgeries for them on 12 May 2025!
This wasn’t easy getting the right equipment, flying in the right people, and dealing with the fact that there’s hardly any info or cases like this for sun bears made it quite a challenge. But our team pulled it off!
Right now, Diana and Wan Wan are recovering well under the watchful eyes of our bear care team. Giving eye drops to wildlife isn’t usually easy, but these two have been super cooperative, which is speeding up their healing!
We’re incredibly proud of this achievement and so grateful for all the support we’ve received. A heartfelt thank you to the amazing specialists who generously shared their time and expertise to restore the vision of our sun bears. Your dedication made all the difference!
Cataract removal was done using phacoemulsification technique
Wan Wan, our 17-year-old sun bear with her signature light pinkish nose, is a true independent spirit. She’s not the most social bear, but she definitely knows how to keep herself busy! Even after her cataract surgery, she was right back at it, happily digging into logs and splitting them in two like nothing ever happened
Diana is 19 years old and was rescued from the south-east coast of Sabah back in 2013. She’s our 33rd rescued bear and a total foodie! She always gets excited when mealtime comes around. On the day of her surgery, Diana was brought into the operating room for cataract surgery to help her see her favorite treats again. Our team made sure she was safe and comfortable the whole time.
We were honored to have Dr. Nabila Sarkawi from the Sabah Wildlife Department collaborating with our team.
Dr. Nadzariah Cheng graciously lent her expertise as a vet ophthalmologist to assist with the surgery.
A crucial part of the surgery, Dr. Chuah, an ophthalmologist from Duchess of Kent Hospital. Also present was volunteer veterinarian Dr. Teoh Hui Xuan from Pet First Veterinary Clinic.
Dr. Chuah from Duchess of Kent Hospital.
Wan Wan's cataract surgery
Dr. Wai Yong Zeng (ophthalmologist) and Ms Marziney (paramedic) from Duchess of Kent Hospital.
Dr. Wai Yong Zheng performed Diana's eye surgery
We were also grateful to have Dr. Anya, volunteer vet from Starlight Veterinary Hospital and Dr. Jessie Ho, a volunteer vet from Jesselton Animal Clinic
We would like to sincerely thank Mr Chong for flying in with the equipment to ensure the surgery was fully prepared and successful. On the left side, also present Dr. Fahdil, a medical officer from Duchess of Kent Hospital.
Ms. Sakina, a staff nurse from Duchess of Kent Hospital, assisted with Wan Wan’s surgery.
