Lucas , a four - year - honest-to-god African penguin , has been render a new letting of life thanks to brand - spanking new orthopedic shoes . Designed byThera - Paw , a company that narrow down in rehabilitative products for animals , the boot allow Lucas to sashay his stuff and nonsense in solace – and , of course of action , style – around his San Diego Zoo enclosure .
We ’re trusted his fresh kicks will make Lucas the enviousness of the African penguin settlement , but they ’ll also help to protect his human foot and mortise joint as he get about his daily penguin business .
Lucas has had a degenerative foot circumstance for the last three years due to a spinal cord infection that left him unable to stick out on his toes and weaken the muscles in his ramification . The term , call bumblefoot , is fairly vulgar in birds , rodent , and coney , characterized by annoyance to the feet . This can range from mild inflammation to abscesses , which , if bequeath untreated , can leave an animal vulnerable to secondary infections and sepsis – both of which could be life story - forbidding .
The team at Thera - Paw and San Diego Zoo desire that the boots , made from neoprene and rubber , will help to protect the sore already on Lucas ’s base and preclude him from developing any more .
“ I ’ve live Lucas for a tenacious time , so let the ability to provide him with a prospect to live a normal sprightliness brings a smile to my aspect , ” Dr Beth Bicknese , senior vet at the San Diego Zoo said in astatement . “ The boots are cushion and Velcroed in place , so they will help Lucas to full participate in the colony and showcase behaviors that are more typical for a penguin – such as climb the rocks , swim , nesting and find a worthy match . ”
According to the zoo ’s wildlife concern specialists , it search like they ’re already working . Since tally the rush , the team has noticed improvement in Lucas ’s pace and , consequently , his ability to pilot the rocky terrain of his home , plus strength and residual .
It seems the unlucky penguin might have his mojo back .
“ We were pleasantly surprised at the immediate change in Lucas after we fitted him with his unexampled kick , ” said Debbie Denton , senior wildlife care specialist at the San Diego Zoo . “ Seeing him move about now give us promise that he may be OK going onward , and able to live a full life . ”
Lucas is n’t the only beast getting a helping hand by accessorizing . Who could blank out thegiraffe with specialized leg brace , or the fame cetacean with aprosthetic tail ? We ’ve also seenvulture bionic limb , custom - printedbill prosthetics , andtitanium paw . plain , Lucas is n’t just in stylus , he ’s in unspoilt troupe too .
