Life and new limbs: Creative thinking, 3D printers save injured wildlife
by Laurel Neme on 5 April 2021
Prosthetics for injured animals are becoming increasingly possible and accessible thanks to 3D printing. Historically, artificial devices for wildlife have been expensive and very time-consuming to produce. 3D printing is changing that calculus by making it easier to design and build better-fitting prosthetics.
A team of dedicated caregivers with vision, creativity and persistence is often the common thread that is key to helping injured animals.
While 3D printing of animal prosthetics allows for multiple iterations that helps improve the device so that the animal can function more normally, size and materials can limit their use.