An extremely rare maned wolf had to have three teeth removed after the unfortunate creature got a stick wedged in its mouth.
Vets at Shepreth Wildlife Park, in Shepreth, Herts., were forced to carry out the hour long operation on seven-year-old Ruby to prevent infection in her gums.
The amazing procedure was watched by 20 students from Cambridge University vet school last Friday.
The 30kg wolf is part of a European Endangered Species Programme and was brought to the park two years ago.
Rebecca Willers, curator of Shepreth Wildlife Park said: “Ruby is often checked by vets as she had a skin condition when she was brought in.
“When the parks vet saw her they knew straight away that she would have to have the teeth removed they weren’t rock solid as they had receded.
“The wolf is now back at the park and is just the same as always”
“She seems happy and will be back on her normal diet soon.”
The maned wolf is native to South America and lives in lightly wooded areas, or open plains.
Its fur is a dark reddish brown and the beautiful creatures are described as looking like ‘a fox on stilts.’
They hunt small to medium-sized prey and are omnivorous with 50 per cent of their diet being fruit and vegetation.
