An Amsterdam zoo hornbill gets 3D-printed upper and lower beaks, which the zoo calls a world first
The zoo's own words on the worry he'd stop eating, and the mouse he picked up the next morning.
A young male southern ground hornbill at Artis Zoo in Amsterdam has received 3D-printed prostheses for both the upper and lower parts of his beak, after both broke, the New York Post and Vice report. The zoo said that as far as is known from the scientific literature, it is the first time a bird has received both.
Utrecht University designed the parts from a CT scan and the broken pieces of his original beak; the prostheses are screwed on and can be removed. "Our biggest concern was that he would become so upset that he would stop eating," the zoo said. Instead, it said, he used the beak the same day and picked up a mouse the next morning.
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Southern ground hornbill
After exploring WATCH: Scientists Gave an Injured Bird a Second Chance With Two 3D-Printed Beak Prosthetics, to meet the species, see Southern ground hornbill.
The southern ground hornbill is the largest hornbill species, found in woodlands and savannas from Kenya to South Africa.
Wikipedia · Wade · 5 min
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