Goose Is Able To Walk Again With Help Of 3D Printed Webbed Foot And Leg
Ozzy is a goose from South Africa that has one peculiarity. Almost immediately after birth, the mother goose inadvertently damaged the baby’s left leg. Unfortunately, it could no longer be recovered. Even though Ozzie was left without a leg, his owner, Sue Berger, kept him and continued to care for him.
The goose was growing up active, but the peculiarity undoubtedly bothered him. He stumbled now and then and even damaged his wings because of his frequent falls, and Ozzie’s curiosity and energy were through the roof. So his owner decided to ask the local radio station for help. The radio hosts did a short show and told the audience about Ozzie.
After that, a lot of people found out about Ozzy, and he even appeared on social media. But most importantly, four companies, led by prosthetic limb manufacturer BunnyCorp, decided to help and make a prosthetic foot for Ozzie! The team modeled and 3D-printed a unique foot made to the goose’s measurements.
The process of creating the foot was not easy. The staff had to do a lot of measurements and calculations before approving the final model. According to the staff, it was no easier than creating a human prosthesis. When the foot was ready, Ozzie tried it out right away.
At first, the goose staggered a bit when walking with the foot, but he got used to it very quickly and took his first steps. The owner was happy that her little goose would be able to move around much more easily now. Ozzy still has to undergo physiotherapy sessions and get used to it, but his life has become a lot easier with his new foot. For example, before he couldn’t swim, run, or just walk normally, but now he does it with pleasure.
Now Ozzie is five months old, and he is a happy goose. He lives practically on par with his relatives and enjoys life to the fullest. The companies that developed the paw for him are modeling a new, updated, and more comfortable paw for the goose to move around even more comfortably.