Park tiger recovering after toenail trouble

Tschuna the tiger is back on her paws after an ingrown toenail was removed at Yorkshire Wildlife Park

A 17-stone (110kg) tiger is recovering after a successful operation to remove an ingrown toenail at Yorkshire Wildlife Park.

Tschuna, a 15-year-old Amur tiger, received the 15-minute procedure after staff at the park in Doncaster noticed she was limping and seemed sensitive on one paw.

The veterinary team injected her with a short-lasting general anaesthetic to allow them to clip off the troublesome claw.

Tschuna will briefly be kept away from visitors at the attraction while she fully recovered, with the procedure stopping discomfort and preventing infection.

Dr Charlotte MacDonald, park director of animals, said: "Tschuna came back round relatively quickly and should have a speedy recovery, though she probably has a bit of a headache from the anaesthetic.

"She'll hopefully be back to her playful self again very quickly."

Tschuna was sedated to allow the removal of the toenail during the 15-minute procedure

Bex Brown, park head of carnivores, said they usually try to avoid having to use anaesthetic.

"Trying to trim it would have caused her pain, so she wouldn't have allowed us to do that - and leaving it would have been painful and uncomfortable for her," she said.

"Because we don't sedate them often at all, it was a good opportunity to give her a full MOT while she was asleep."

Tschuna arrived at the park in 2013 as part of an international breeding scheme.

Ms Brown described Tschuna as "a princess", adding: "If we present her food she often puts the food on her other paw rather than off the ground."

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