What’s worse than a polar bear with a toothache? I don’t know, since it’s not a joke. It’s the story of Boris, a polar bear at the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium in Tacoma, Washington. Boris is 29 years old, twice the average lifespan of a polar bear in the wild. He came to the zoo after he was rescued from a traveling circus. But his dental problems caught up with him, and a team of courageous veterinarians and assistants performed surgery on Boris to remove three rotten teeth. Sure, the bear was anesthetized, you’d still have to wonder every second how well that was working. -via Fark
(Image credit: Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium)
You're right -I've seen pictures of polar bears that indicate that Boris is fairly small for an adult male. Still, even a small polar bear pissed off by a toothache can be dangerous.