Animal Prosthetics

People have been applying prosthesis to help the handicapped ones ever since the Egyptians – but probably only recently we realized, we’re not the only ones suffering the pain on Earth. Unlike people, animals can’t cry or complain about the pain, and the less resilient ones lead a much shorter and harder life in case of any accident. Even though veterinarians do provide considerable help, more serious surgeries or even usage of a special prosthetic is a fairly recent thing the humanity started doing for the animals.

While in the wild, animals can get hurt in a number of different ways, be that a disease or an accident, getting harmed by a human or larger predators, or any other. However, now more and more centers worldwide are applying mechanisms to help the animals recover from the injury and live as normal of a life as possible. Check out some inspiring examples of the how people have helped the animals by fitting them with a prosthetic needed!

Eagle

This bald eagle, named Beauty, was shot by a poacher. After three years a group of volunteers made her a prosthetic beak, which was a key to her survival: an eagle, which has to be hand-fed, is eventually euthanized, and Beauty was once again able to grasp food herself.
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Motala the Elephant

Motala, aged 50, lost a foot after he stepped on a land mine. Luckily, Thailand is the one country in the world with an elephant hospital running, and dedicated workers could take care of Motala.
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In the picture below, you can see Motala, age 50, who lost his foot after stepping on a land mine. Thanks to the dedicated workers at the elephant hospital located in Lampang, Thailand, the elephant received a new prosthetic leg.

Fuji the Dolphin

Due to a necrotic disease, 75% of Fuji’s fin had to be amputated. It was the Bridgestone company, one of the largest manufacturers of tires, that created a silicone replacement for Fuji, making her the first dolphin with a prosthetic fin.
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Horse

Riley’s leg bone began to deteriorate due to a contaminated metal plate that was inserted. Due to the injury, the mare had to be put down, but the sanctuary staff decided to try a pioneering operation, which gave Riley an artificial limb and saved her life.
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Tuly the Tortoise

While hibernating, Tuly had her leg chewed off by a rat. It was saved by fitting a toy tractor’s wheel to it.
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Oscar the Cat

A passer-by found Oscar injured by a combine harvester; as advised by a local vet, the owner of the cat from Jersey contacted a doctor in England, and after lots of x-rays being sent back and forth, the cat had two prosthetic legs fitted, as well as a rehab in the UK before coming back home.
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Cassidy the Dog

Cassidy was found wondering in streets, underweight and missing a leg: after one family decided to adopt and take care of the dog, they found a facility that could create a prosthetic limb, making Cassidy the first dog to receive such treatment.
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Uzonka the Stork

Uzonka was injured by an unknown person, and had to undergo 5 preparatory surgeries, before it could have a prosthesis attached to its bill.
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