Prosthetic Shoes Allow Baby Giraffe To Walk

Tonic, Katie Leavitt

Hope, the baby giraffe born with rear leg deformities can walk after groundbreaking medical treatment.

For being only one month old, this young giraffe has already overcome a lot. She was born with a life-threatening, rear-leg deformity, which occurs because the tendons in her foot won’t allow her legs to develop properly, rendering her unable to walk.

The medical team at the Topeka Zoo immediately noticed the problem and began treating her within hours of her birth. Now, Hope, the aptly-named giraffe, is strolling along with the rest of them.

“Dr. Joseph Camer has done just such an amazing job working with this little giraffe,” said Brendan Wiley, director of the Topeka Zoo on NBC’s Today Show.

First she was fitted with hard casts, but three weeks later became the proud owner of some prosthetic shoes in what the Topeka, Kan. crew is calling a groundbreaking medical procedure.

“These shoes actually even have an external tendon system that really keeps those hooves in proper alignment, and then are allowing her to walk and behave like a normal giraffe at this point,” he said.

Baby Hope quickly adapted to her new kicks and has shown incredible growth. According to Wiley, it’s too early to tell what the next stage in her development will bring, but the team is very pleased with her progress so far.

As for now, though, her long, gangly legs are sporting bright pink and purple prosthetics. The color choice remains a mystery, but perhaps it reminds the team that while Hope can now keep in stride with the others, she’ll always stand out in a crowd.

http://www.tonic.com/article/baby-giraffe-walks-normally-thanks-to-hoof-prosthetics/