A PARROT has been given the world’s first prosthetic beak thanks to brand new technology that was pioneered in Brazil.
Gigi was initially found abandoned in an estate in Sao Paulo and had a rare condition that meant her beak would not stop growing and became deformed, making it difficult for her to eat.
But vets in Brazil have now fitted her with a beak made from titanium, attached with blue and green screws, allowing her to eat properly for the first time since she was rescued.
Touching footage shows her chewing on a snack after the operation, described as a “historic moment” by 3-D designer Cicero Moraes.
Vets had initially thought about fitting a plastic beak, but quickly realized that it wouldn’t be hard enough to devour the tough food that macaws like to eat.
A 3-D design team then came together to create a model of what her beak should look like digitally, and used a 3-D printer to create it.
They then removed some of her own oversized bill and fastened the titanium model to what was left of her natural beak with colored screws.
Within 48 hours of the operation, Gigi was chewing on food unaided and is now recovering at the Center for Research and Screening of Wild Animals at Unimonte, in Santos, Sau Paulo.
The center posted the video of her eating, with the words: “Thanks to the commitment of all involved here in our center of sorting, our dear Gigi recovers super well, without presenting any difficulty.”
The parrot has been kept in captivity so long that is unlikely she would survive in the wild, so the center is now looking for a zoo that would take the macaw in.
Many were touched by Gigi’s story, posting messages of support on the Facebook page.
Angelica Mocelin Polak wrote: “Congratulations on the beautiful work, I don’t know what caused the trauma of beak but it must be something by a human being.
“But I’m even crying just reading this story, I’ve only seen this video, but just knowing there is people like your team is helping.”(SD-Agencies)
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