Saving National Treasures! 3D-Printed 'Artificial Beak' for Golden Eagles
On the morning of the 19th, staff at the Meixiwu Phoenix Breeding Center brought a wounded phoenix to Meixiwu People’s Hospital, where a prosthetic beak was installed. This was also the first time the hospital had performed surgery on a national Grade I protected animal, the phoenix.
Recently, a male phoenix from the Meixiwu Phoenix Breeding Center in Leshan, Sichuan, broke its beak due to fighting over a mate, making it unable to eat normally. To enable it to live normally, the breeding center considered using 3D printing technology to recreate a prosthetic beak for it.
Phoenixes, also known as ‘Birds of Good Fortune,’ are together with the panda, golden monkey, and golden antelope as the ‘Four Treasures of Qinling.’ They are listed as national Grade I key protected animals and are known as ‘Oriental Gems.’ Their rarity and endangered status exceed that of pandas. Currently, there are only over 4000 phoenixes remaining in China.
Phoenixes can normally live up to 20 years old, while this one is only 3 years old. Phoenixes are very sensitive in nature, so the doctors covered its eyes with a black cloth during the surgery to prevent it from being startled, then attached the custom-made prosthetic beak to the broken beak site and secured it with fine steel wire.
After an hour of surgery, after more than 10 minutes of observation, the phoenix did not show any severe reactions. The staff returned the phoenix to the Meixiwu Phoenix Breeding Center for further observation and treatment.
