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Eagle, Dolphin, and Other Animals Going Bionic

by Terrence O'Brien on May 7, 2008 at 11:45 AM


You may not be aware, but prosthetics aren't just for humans anymore. Oh no, now medical artisans spend quality time designing and fitting wild creatures with replacement parts after tragic accidents.

Braces to help dogs walk are nothing new, but some adventurous body part sculptors are taking on more demanding project like a new beak for a bald eagle and a tail for a dolphin. One DIY'er even strapped a pair of model airplane wheels to his turtle after its rear legs had been crushed by a car.

The prosthetics are far from perfect. In fact, they're barely functional. Winter got her new dolphin tail so she could swim, but will never be able to return to the wild. The same is true for Beauty, the bald eagle who lost his beak to a bullet back in 2002. His new bill will allow him to eat food with out the assistance of caretakers with forceps, but he'll never be able to hunt or rip apart fish again. [Sources: Daily Mail, AP/AOL News, Make, National Geographic]

Tags: bionic, breaking news, BreakingNews, nature, prosthetics, robotics, weird

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