Incredible Inca!

Our much-loved elderly bear, Inca – officially the oldest Asiatic black bear in Europe – has passed her annual health check with flying colours.

ABOVE – Incredible Inca – Top-to-toe exam shows she’s in tip-top shape for her age! Thanks to DZG member Sarah Holt for the lovely pic

The 35-year-old has amazed DZG vets and keepers who were with the 100kg beauty as she underwent a half-hour full body check at the end of last week.

Inca was sedated by vets Peter Stewart and Rosie Bathgate before they got to work on her top-to-toe examination.

It involved detailed checks of her eyes, ears, nose, mouth, teeth, pads, feet and claws. She also had a routine blood test to check on her internal organs.

And a manicure was included, as well as an inspection of Inca’s dense fur to look for any skin abnormalities.

ABOVE – Neat feet… Inca gets her nails trimmed by DZG vets Peter Stewart and Rosie Bathgate

Section Leader Jay Haywood said: “This was an extremely thorough examination which lasted around 30 minutes and I’m delighted to say Inca has a perfect bill of health for her years.

“She is amazing and is doing so well. She’s an astounding 10 years older than the life span of an Asiatic black bear in the wild.”

Jay explained Inca’s claws grew very rapidly and although bears can normally wear them down naturally by digging and climbing, our elderly bear needs a bit of help as she’s not as active as she used to be.

The vet used an oversized pair of nail clippers to trim back her claws.

He added: “Inca is in very good health for her age and is just slowing down a bit now.

“But she still manages to clamber on top of her climbing frame and nap in the sunshine when she can.”