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12 Special Needs Animals That Survived and Thrived
 

Allison

When Allison the sea turtle arrived at Sea Turtle Inc. in South Padre, Texas, experts thought she had little chance of survival. The bloodied, battered turtle had lost three of her flippers in a shark attack, and with only one remaining, was reduced to swimming in circles. Workers at Sea Turtle Inc. nursed her back to health and then began devising ways to help her swim. They started with a prosthetic flipper, but Allison didn’t have enough of a stump left to attach it. Undeterred, they continued working until they came up with her neoprene “ninja suit,” which allows Allison to swim and dive normally. Allison has adapted so well to her suit that she now swims away from the team when they try to remove it.

Photo credit: Sea Turtle Inc.

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Buttercup

Buttercup is a domestic white duck, and was born in a high school biology lab. Sadly, Buttercup was born with a deformity — his left leg was backwards. He was given into the care of Mike Garey of Feathered Angels, who was determined to save the duck (Buttercup would have been unable to survive with his disability). Buttercup’s bad leg would bleed when he tried to walk on it, so the first step was to have the limb amputated. Then, using a 3-D printer, Garey created a mold and fashioned a new limb for the duck. Buttercup took to his new foot immediately, and is able to walk and swim like other ducks. His remarkable story even caught the attention of AFLAC, who donated $3,000 to Carey and Feathered Angels to help other injured animals.

Photo credit: Buttercup / Facebook

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Chhouk

As a baby elephant in Cambodia, Chhouk was caught in a poacher’s snare. When rescuers from the World Wildlife Fund elephant patrol found him, he was emaciated and in severe pain. Because he’d lost part of his front leg in the trap, it was difficult for him to move and he was struggling to survive. Rescuers were able to get Chhouk (his name means “Lotus Flower”) to Wildlife Alliance, where they treated his injury and where he was adopted by a surrogate mom. However, because he was so off-balance, he was at risk for serious bone deformities. So in partnership with the Cambodian School of Prosthetics and Orthotics (and with funding from the SeaWorld Busch Gardens Conservation Fund), Wildlife Alliance was able to build a prosthetic foot for Chhouk. He’s now on his fifth one — they have to be replaced as he grows — and is a mobile, energetic elephant.
 
Photo credit: Wildlife Alliance

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Naki'o

Naki’o was born able-bodied, but as a puppy, he was abandoned in a house in Nebraska during winter. When rescuers found him, he was in a puddle in the basement; his mother had already died, and Naki’o was severely frostbitten. Although rescuers managed to save him, Naki’o lost all four paws to frostbite, as well as part of his nose and tail. A veterinary assistant adopted Naki’o, and once he recovered, his legs healed into rounded stumps that made prostheses a viable possibility. His owner saved enough money to purchase two artificial legs from a Denver-based vet hospital called Orthopets. Orthopets was impressed at how well Naki’o maneuvered with his two new hind legs, so the hospital covered the cost of creating front legs as well. He’s now able to run and jump, and his bionic legs have special grip pads that allow him to move on slick surfaces.
 
Photo credit: Naki’o the Bionic Dog / Facebook

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Winter

In 2005, rescuers found Winter, a 3-month-old dolphin, caught in a crab trap. She’d been entangled in the buoy line for more than a day, and it had cut off circulation to her tail, which eventually fell off. Concerned about her survival, rescuers took her to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Florida. There, specialists worked to create an artificial tail, and in 2007, Winter was fitted with her first prosthetic. Winter’s energy and enthusiasm was so inspiring that a movie was made of her story (she even got to star): “Dolphin Tale” was released in 2011, and a sequel is slated for next year.

Photo credit: Winter / Twitter (pictured with fellow dolphin Hope)

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Beauty

Beauty is a bald eagle who was shot and left to die in Alaska. The bullet decimated her beak, leaving her unable to feed. Consequently, when she was found by Jane Fink Cantwell of Birds of Prey Northwest, Beauty was emaciated and near death. Cantwell rescued Beauty, and with the help of the US Fish and Wildlife Service, brought the eagle to her rescue organization in Idaho. Though several experts claimed that euthanasia was Beauty’s only choice, Cantwell pushed for other options. She found support in a Boise-based engineering group who designed and created an artificial beak for Beauty, which worked well for a few years. However, last year Beauty experienced new, regenerative growth in her upper beak. Although this growth pushed off the prosthetic, it allowed Beauty to eat on her own for the first time since her accident. Cantwell is waiting to see whether a new prosthetic will be necessary.

Photo credit: Birds of Prey Northwest

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