Brazilian toucan gets a new beak, created on a 3D printer
When you're a toucan, you need your beak. It's a pretty important part of your identity.
Tieta was a toucan with a big problem. She was missing about half of her upper beak.
Thanks to some resourceful researchers in Brazil, Tieta now has a new beak, printed on a 3D printer.
A Brazilian toucan
Federal Police in Brazil found her at an animal fair in Rio de Janeiro and took her to the Free Flight Institute for help. Roched Seba, who headed up the project to fabricate a new beak for Tieta, believes she was mistreated by wildlife traffickers.
Said Seba,
“Without the front part of the beak, Tieta would have had a precarious life and would be dependent on someone to feed her.”
Most toucans nest in trees
It took researchers a couple of months to perfect the faux beak. They created four different ones. Once attached, it took Tieta just three days to learn how to use it. With the prosthesis, she still cannot be released into the wild because she will require monitoring but, she will have a more autonomous life.
The Brazilian rainforest, the toucan's natural habitat
That new life could be a sanctuary where people could visit her and learn from her story. However, the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources will make the final decision.
(All images - credit: Wikimedia Commons under Creative Commons licence)
