‘Saving dancing bears gives me strength’
When vet Lisa Milella was diagnosed with incurable Motor Neurone Disease, she decided to treat bears in India to help her cope
While most people would W crumble if they were told they were suffering from a terminal illness, Lisa Milella devoted herself to doing something incredibly selfless.
The veterinary dentist, 43, had always been aware of the plight of dancing bears – where they are cruelly forced to dance by pulling on a rope threaded through their nose – so decided to close her veterinary business and focus on treating the endangered animals.
A BARBARIC TRADITION
Single Lisa, from Byfleet, Surrey, says: “When I found out I had muscle-wasting disease Motor Neurone [which has an average life expectancy of two to five years], I was in disbelief. I’ve always been healthy and I was so scared. I’ve treated bears in India in the past and it was so rewarding. I thought how it would be a good way to spend the time I had left.”
Lisa – who has always loved animals and wanted to be a vet from the age of five – started working with mistreated bears – alongside leopards, tigers and orangutans – in 2005, after charity International Animal Rescue contacted her asking for help.
She says: “Bear dancing is so cruel. The cubs are caught from the wild and have a hot iron pushed through their nose and a rope threaded through it. They then ‘dance’ on their feet as they’re so desperate to relieve the pain. Their teeth are broken to stop them biting, causing painful infections, abscesses and mouth tumours. Thankfully, charities campaigned and the barbaric tradition ended in 2009, but many bears still need treatment.
“I flew to India several times and treated bears with infected teeth and abscesses. It was exhausting, but so rewarding.
Then, in 2013, Lisa was told she had MND – a condition that attacks the nerves in the brain and spinal cord – and made the huge decision to close her business and spend more time helping bears.
She says: “The news I had MND floored me. I was in shock for days and couldn’t stop crying. Animals are my world and I was so upset at the thought of leaving my rescue cats and dog behind.
“But when I thought about the joy I got from saving bears, I knew I wanted to spend more time doing that. I closed my business and used my health insurance to pay the bills so I could focus on helping bears.”
REWARDING WORK
Since her diagnosis, Lisa has been to India twice to train vets and help bears. She says: “The second time I was in a wheelchair and needed a friend to come with me, but I was determined to help. I’ve treated 160 bears over the years and had some amazing experiences.
“My favourite bear is Shetty. She was blind after being beaten and had severe damage to her teeth. I repaired her teeth in a six-hour op and she was back on her feet soon after. It was wonderful to see.”
Now Lisa – who has a live-in carer – has set up a Just Giving page to fund training for vets in India. She hopes to return to India this year and emails vets to advise them on cases.
She adds: “Helping the bears keeps me going. It’s a great comfort I’m able to do something special with my life.”
❛my life expectancy was five years – i wanted to Spend the time helping bears❜