Have you ever wondered what it's like to have a bigger tongue than your mouth? And we don't talk metaphorically, no, like your colleague who can't keep a secret or the infamous joke with the mother-in-law's tongue ... We're saying it in the literal sense! A Myanmar bear had to undergo surgery to fix the limb that weighed more than 3 kg and was constantly hanging, sometimes dragging on the floor.

Nyan htoo, meaning something like "Brilliant", is an approximately 18-month-old Asian black bear who was rescued by Myanmar monks along with his little brother, Kan htoo ("Lucky"). Both were still young when they were about to be sold in the illegal wildlife market.

As soon as he was rescued in 2016, Nyan htoo already had an unusual swelling of the tongue of unknown origin and underwent restorative surgery. At first, everything worked out, but the organ grew back in a huge way until, in June of this year, it began to affect the bear's quality of life.

Nyan htoo sedated before surgery begins

He stopped playing with his brother, since his tongue kept dragging on the floor, and rested his head on the bars of his cage, to support the extra weight of his head. Surgeons and animal welfare experts from around the world have been summoned to study the problem of Nyan htoo and help him lead a more normal life.

In a 4-hour operation, 3 kg of tongue was removed from the bear. At first it is thought to be a rare case of elephantiasis - a very common disease among Myanmar humans but never detected in bears. “Thanks to the enthusiasm and compassion of all concerned, we have achieved a tangible improvement in Nyan htoo's quality of life and look forward to continuing our work in Myanmar to promote improvements in animal welfare and veterinary training, ” said veterinary Heather Bacon of University of Edinburgh, Scotland, which coordinated the surgery.

Bear smiles face after having his excess tongue removed