Muristek
Crescent has been given a new lease of life thanks to a 3D printer. ― Picture via Facebook/ 10 Tampa Bay
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KUALA LUMPUR, April 1 ― A hornbill in a US zoo suffering from skin cancer has been given a new lease of life thanks to a 3D printer.
Crescent, who stays at Zoo Tampa in Florida, developed an often-fatal cancer on her large beak, squamous cell carcinoma but her caregivers refused to give up, Fox News reported.
Specialists from the University of South Florida and Tampa General Hospital agreed the best chance of success was to completely remove the tumor, though this meant Crescent's sinuses would be exposed.
Zoo associate veterinarian Dr. Kendra Baker said the tumor was typically found near the front of the casque in hornbills, but Crescent's was found in the back.
That's when the team made the call to print and design a new custom 3D casque for the great hornbill.
Crescent's prosthetic beak had to be lightweight, hard, and durable.
After her January surgery, surgeons used dental acrylic to apply Crescent's new beak before permanently attaching it with titanium screws.
“The prosthetic covers her sinuses, and Crescent immediately had full use of her beak,” the station quoted the zoo in a news release.
Zoo officials said this was the first time this surgery has been performed on a hornbill in the US and the second procedure worldwide.
Crescent is doing well, said the zoo.
A native of Nepal, Bhutan, India, mainland Southeast Asia, and Sumatra, the great hornbill's population is decreasing due to deforestation.
The species is listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.