A six-year-old Chilean flamingo is on the mend after fracturing its leg a month ago. At the time of his injury, veterinarians were not sure if the bird would survive. They were forced to partially amputate one of its legs to stop an infection.
As zookeepers at the Sorocaba zoo cared for the flamingo, they decided to fit it with a prosthetic leg that would allow him to walk again.
"To prevent an infection from setting in and spreading to the rest of his body, which would have killed him, we decided to amputate the leg and give him the prosthesis," said the zoo's veterinarian, Andre Costa, who performed the surgery on the bird, told the Associated Press.
A local prosthesis manufacturer donated a custom-made, seven-inch carbon limb. After the prosthetic leg was placed, the flamingo was given a new lease on life. Although he's still getting use to his new limb, the pink flamingo is starting to get the hang of it. He even began tucking the new leg under its body, in the classic one-legged pose.
This is such a beautiful story. It's wonderful to see an animal overcome a huge obstacle — thanks to the help of a few heroes.
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