Singh:
Medical science has advanced to the heights, which no one would have ever imagined in previous decades. For instance, prosthetic limbs have given an opportunity of living a normal life to those people who have lost their body parts because of accidents or diseases. Not only humans, even animals were able to get a new life because of these artificial limbs. Here is a list of five most incredible animal prosthetics.
1. Dolphin having a rubber tail
This dolphin named Fuji, living in an aquarium in Okinawa, has been the center of attraction for decades. Especially, the children visiting this aquarium have been very much enthusiastic about seeing Fuji. Fuji has been delighting everyone until recently when a mysterious disease started deteriorating away her tail fin. To save her life and further damage from this disease, doctors had to cut off her tail completely by a surgical operation. Tail is one of the most important part of a dolphin's body, it acts as its engine without which it cannot swim or jump or dive. That is why engineers from the Bridgestone Tire Company were contacted to design a new rubber tail for Fuji. However, the initial designs did not worked properly because of some drawbacks. Finally, the third tail design, which was made of silicon rubber with foam padding, was accepted by Fuji. Now she is able to swim almost as well as any other normal dolphin.
2. Turtle with a set of toy wheels
Tonka lost her ability to move when her legs were bitten by a dog. She was left with only three legs, which made it practically impossible for her to move from one place to another. To remedy this problem, the workers at the Peninsula Humane Society came out with an excellent idea. They suggested that Tonka would be able gain her mobility if a set of toy wheels is provided to her. Therefore, they fitted this three-legged tortoise with a set of toy wheel and Tonka was off a rolling in no time. Although, she is bit slow in comparison to the other turtles, still this achievement cannot be doubted. When her pictures with this set of toy wheel were published in the morning newspapers, she was adopted almost immediately in the next couple of days.
3. Elephant with a wooden leg
Motala is one of those unfortunate and innocent animals who have suffered terribly because of the disputes between humans. She stepped on a land mine near the Thailand-Burma border in the year 1999 because of which she sustained some serious injuries on her front leg. Although, the veterinarians were able to tackle the injuries, but her front leg was left much shorter than the others. This made it very difficult for her to walk, as she was unable to make balance because of her short front leg. To help her out, doctors at the Friends of the Asian Elephant's hospital gave her a prosthetic leg in 2005. This prosthetic leg is nothing but a bag, which is filled with wood shavings and is attached to her short leg. This bag makes her short leg as long as the other legs. Initially she faced some difficulties in adjusting with this leg, but soon she was able to accept this attachment. Motala is still using the same kind of bag as her prosthetic leg.
4. Kangaroo with a prosthetic limb
Stumpy, which is a red kangaroo, is a resident of the International Kangaroo Society's Sanctuary in Ohio. She has only one leg and was, therefore, needed a prosthetic limb. Therefore, an artificial limb was created for her by the veterinarians at the Ohio State University. This responsibility was given to two people, Richard Nitsch who is a licensed prosthesis orthotist and Dr. David E. Anderson who is an Associate Professor of Surgery at the College of Veterinary Medicine. The task of creating an artificial limb for a kangaroo is not that much simple as it appears. The limb had to be designed keeping in mind that Stumpy will be able to replicate the natural movement of a kangaroo with the help of this prosthetic limb. Unlike other animals, kangaroo usually hop rather than walking from one place to another, so the limb should actually provide this flexibility to her. Hence, springs were included in the prosthetic limb.
5. Pony with a prosthetic leg
The owners of this gray speckled pony abandoned her when the Hurricane Katrina hit southern Louisiana. Somehow, Molly survived the catastrophe and was taken to a farm where all the abandoned animals of that region were kept. She escaped a near death when she was attacked by a pit bull terrier in that farm. However, she was terribly wounded and her right leg was damaged and later became infected. It was quite sure that eventually, she would be on her way to the knacker's yard. However, when surgeon Rustin Moore met her, he decided to remove her leg below the knee and replace it with a temporary artificial limb. Soon a prosthetic leg was designed for her, which gave her a new life. Now, she is an inspiration for many.
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