Vets use fish skin to heal bears injured in California wildfires

When two bears suffered painful burns while escaping Southern California’s wildfires, veterinarians used an unconventional bandage to treat the animals’ paws: fish skin. 

The bears, along with a young mountain lion with less severe burns, were treated by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife after the Thomas Fire burned through Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. The wildfires that swept through California in late 2017 were the worst in the state’s history. The Thomas Fire was the largest ever recorded, burning through 273,400 acres. 

According to a statement by the CDFW, the bears’ injuries were severe, with “oozing wounds, and, in some cases, paw pads that were completely burned off.” Read more…

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Source: Mashable | Vets use fish skin to heal bears injured in California wildfires