A tortoise was found seriously injured, with her legs burnt and most of her shell damaged due to the forest fire in Brazil.
What an amazing tortoise. Not only did Freddy survive the fire, but she also lived 45 days without food and bouts of pneumonia before being found by a volunteer group, “Animal Avengers.” The burns were so severe that the rescuers named her Freddy, after the scarred main character in ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street.’
With the help of technology and some beautiful, caring people, Freddy, who had lost about 85 percent of her shell, is the first tortoise in the world with a custom 3D-printed prosthetic shell.
Fortunately for this adorable tortoise, a team of specialists made themselves available. Cicero Moraes, a 3D designer, Yuri Caldera an artist, who created the natural camouflage design on Freddy’s shell, and Rodrigo Rabelo veterinarian, who gave Freddy a new lease on life.
Cirero Moraes took a series of photos from different angles to which he reconstructed a 3D computer image model of the complete shell, with Freddy’s exact measurements.
Watch more of the process in the video below;
The design was printed using a desktop printer in 4 authentic individual pieces that fit together around Freddy to create the shell.
The corn-based plastic structure cost $136 a kilo but took about 50 hours of printing.
Freddy returned to full mobility after a successful operation sporting a beautiful hand-painted shell that blends into its natural habitat.
Science says tortoises can feel when their shells are being touched, yet it is not as sensitive and their skin. They apparently love to be touched and are affectionate creatures who can recognize people.
Featured image credit: globoplay.globo.com
