Cheyenne Mountain Zoo grizzly recovering after tail surgery

• More than 10,000 people "liked" the zoo's Instagram post about the surgery's success.

Zoom in: The 750-pound bear was anesthetized, transported and operated on Feb. 25.

• A special operating table platform was built to hold Emmett, per the zoo.
• Vets removed the cancerous mass and most of Emmett's tail.

Reality check: The grizzly might not be out of the proverbial woods yet.

• Cheyenne Mountain's public statements about the procedure don't claim that Emmett is cured — only that the surgery intended to give him "the best chance at fighting the disease while balancing a humane quality of life."

Flashback: Emmett and Digger, both 21 years old, came to the zoo as "nuisance bears," following negative interactions with people in the wild.

Grizzlies in the wild live to around 25 years, according to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

• Those in captivity can live much longer.