WATCH: Bear at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo undergoes successful cancer surgery

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – A beloved grizzly bear at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is recovering after a successful surgery to remove a cancerous mass from its tail.

On Feb. 23, the zoo announced that 21-year-old Emmett had grown a lump on his tail, and biopsy results had revealed it to be cancerous. To give him the best chance at fighting the disease, zoo officials decided to put Emmett under anesthesia and perform surgery.

While putting animals under anesthesia always carries some risk, his care team said Emmett’s overall good health made them optimistic for his full recovery.

"We’ve spent the past weeks preparing to give Emmett a fighting chance, and we’ll do everything we can to support him through this," Rebecca Zwicker, Rocky Mountain Wild animal care manager, said in a press release.

On Wednesday, Feb. 25, the zoo said the 750-pound bear was carefully transported to their hospital on a custom-built platform made specifically for the procedure. CMZoo veterinary teams worked alongside specialists from the Colorado State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital and Focused Ultrasound Resources to perform the procedure.

Zoo officials say Emmett handled the anesthesia well, and surgeons were able to successfully remove the cancerous mass, along with most of his tail. Ultrasounds performed during the surgery showed no obvious evidence that the cancer had spread elsewhere in his body.

As of the zoo's last update, Emmett's care team says he appears to be recovering well. He'll now spend the next several days resting and recovering in his den out of sight while his grizzly companion, Digger, remains visible to guests.

While the data varies, CMZoo says grizzlies typically live between 20 and 30 years in human care. His care team hopes this surgery and his post-operative care will give him many more years to enjoy living his best life out at the zoo, which he's called home since 2007.

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