A Dentist and 200 Bears

# A Dentist and 200 Bears

Mulcahy photographs of a bear with broken teeth, Mulcahy agreed to help. That small moment led to a 20-year detour: dental surgery for rescued wildlife.

Mulcahy's first patient was Anthony, a 180-kilogram sloth bear. The operation nearly failed. After three hours under anaesthesia, Anthony stopped breathing. Local vets left the operating room saying, "you've killed our bear." Mulcahy used a crash kit, administered adrenaline, and performed three minutes of chest compressions. Anthony revived and later lived another decade.

That experience shaped the work that followed. Mulcahy has treated around 200 bears and several big cats, hyenas, and apes. The nickname he earned—"Bear Drills"—captures both the scale and the specificity of what he does: dental procedures on large rescued animals.

Many of the animals Mulcahy treats arrive with deliberate injuries. Poachers or handlers sometimes hammer out or break teeth to make animals seem tamer. Missing, fractured, or infected teeth cause pain, prevent normal feeding, and reduce quality of life. Restoring teeth is therefore a direct medical intervention that improves the animals' day-to-day wellbeing.

• Field-ready anaesthesia strategies and emergency crash kits.
• Cross-disciplinary collaboration between a human dentist and local veterinarians.
• Improvised setups and procedures adapted to animals' size and species.

Anthony's near-death showed the stakes. Anaesthesia complications can be fatal, and not all local teams are familiar with the risks. Mulcahy's response demonstrates the importance of immediate resuscitation capability and the value of a willing, skilled operator in chaotic settings.

This account is as much about decision and follow-through as it is about dentistry. It highlights how a professional skill applied outside its usual context can meet an urgent need. It also documents a form of cruelty inflicted on animals and a practical medical response that restores capability and comfort, one procedure at a time.

• Notice opportunities where a concrete skill could help animals or people in unconventional settings.
• Support rescue organizations that provide medical care for wildlife when possible.
• Recognize that rescue medicine often requires improvisation, emergency preparedness, and cross-disciplinary cooperation.