Secretary bird at German park gets new leg from 3-D printer

Secretary bird at German park gets new leg from 3-D printer
In this April 4, 2017 photo keeper German Alonso straps a leg prothesis to on the left leg of secretarybird Soeckchen (Sagittarius seprentarius) at the bird park in Walsrode, northern Germany. The prothesis was made in a 3D-printer after his left leg was amputated. (Philipp Schulze/dpa via AP)

Soeckchen the secretary bird is now strutting around her home in northern Germany with an artificial leg produced using a 3-D printer.

Keepers at the Weltvogelpark bird park in Walsrode found two-year-old Soeckchen (Little Socks) in her aviary with a broken left leg. Her lower leg had to be amputated.

Zookeepers turned to Lars Thalmann of e-Nable, which makes free prosthetic hands for children. The dpa news agency says it was the first time the organization had made a for an animal.

Park spokeswoman Janina Buse says it took two attempts to get it right. A first prosthesis, which mimicked the leg's form, turned out too heavy.

Buse says Thalmann built a second leg without talons—"it looks much simpler, but the bird is managing brilliantly with it."

Secretary bird at German park gets new leg from 3-D printer
In this April 4, 2017 photo secretarybird Soeckchen (Sagittarius seprentarius) walks across a meadow wearing a leg prothesis at the bird park in Walsrode, northern Germany. The prothesis was made in a 3D-printer after his left leg was amputated. (Philipp Schulze/dpa via AP)

© 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Citation: Secretary bird at German park gets new leg from 3-D printer (2017, April 10) retrieved 28 March 2024 from https://phys.org/news/2017-04-secretary-bird-german-leg-d.html
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

Explore further

German zoo shuts down after bird flu kills emu

9 shares

Feedback to editors