Helping a 19-stone female gorilla see through the mist was the biggest challenge yet for David Gould.

The veterinary surgeon was part of a team charged with restoring the sight of Romina, a 21-year-old Western lowland gorilla, who had a cataract obscuring the vision in her right eye.

Since leaving his home town of Richmond, Dr Gould had been working his medical magic on canine patients at Bristol veterinary school.

But in the first operation of its kind to be performed in Europe, the 34-year-old played a crucial role in making Romina a more attractive mating proposition to her zoo enclosure companion, Bongo.

Romina, who was hand-reared in Rome, had been virtually blind since birth. After she arrived at Bristol Zoo Gardens, it became apparent that Romina's condition was scuppering silverback male Bongo's romantic overtures - and, in turn, the park's chances of continuing its breeding programme.

Dr Gould was called in to offer his expert opinion and, despite the unfamiliar species, he was able to suggest a solution.

He said: "I am more used to cataract operations on dogs, but when I looked into her eyes they were quite obviously human-like.

"It was quite sensible to bring in Jenny Watts, who is an NHS medical opthamologist, to do the work and I was the assistant surgeon. We worked well as a team.

"It was fantastic to be involved in. We are going to operate on the other eye in a few months' time." he said.

And while the success of the landmark operation means there could be a host of new arrivals at the zoo, it has also allowed Romina to settle some old scores.

Dr Gould added: "In the past, she was bullied by one of the other female gorillas at the zoo. She would sit above Romina and hit her on the head with things, because when Romina looked up she couldn't see what was there. Now she is getting her own back.