Freddy the tortoise had a rough time. He was caught in a brush fire in his native Brazil, and as you know, running away isn't really something tortoises can do very well. The result was a heavily damaged shell and a bleak outlook.
Luckily for Freddy, though, he had friends — specifically, human friends called the Animal Avengers, a group of Sao Paulo–based surgeons and scientists dedicated to helping injured animals survive using cutting-edge technology.
Tortoises are pretty amazing creatures. They might not be the fastest or the flashiest, but they're known for their incredibly long life spans that can reach over 200 years, and for their easygoing nature, even when experiencing a bath for the first time in 184 years.
Of course, when you move slow and live to be 184, being easygoing is probably the only way to be!
For Freddy, though, things were dire. Without his shell, he was prone to injury and infection, so the Animal Avengers had their work cut out for them.
They had to craft Freddy a new shell that would protect him just like his old shell, and make it tailored to fit his body perfectly.
Check out how they did it, and see Freddy's new look!
[H/T: BoredPanda, Daily Mail]
After surviving a brush fire in Brazil, Freddy the tortoise lost about 85 percent of his shell.
And when you're a tortoise, that's a very serious problem.
Without most of his shell, Freddy was susceptible to injury and infection, and his chances of surviving without it were very slim.
But luckily, Freddy has friends.
Those friends are the Animal Avengers, a volunteer group consisting of a designer, a surgeon, and four veterinarians who combine their skills to rescue animals in need, just like Freddy.
"We first came together as friends because of our common love of science and our love for animals," Dr. Roberto Fecchio says.
"We soon realized we could do some extraordinary work using cutting-edge technology to push back the boundaries of lifesaving care for [injured] animals by giving them customized prostheses."
To create a new shell for Freddy, designer Cicero Moraes first took photos of the tortoise from all angles, then created a 3D model of a shell in four parts on the computer.
The design was then sent to dental surgeon Dr. Paulo Miamoto, who 3D-printed the shell that would fit over Freddy's body and protect him just as his old shell did.
The shell was then pieced together, like a jigsaw puzzle, on Freddy.
"Freddy was the first tortoise in the world to receive a fully rebuilt hull and the first creature that we, as a newly formed group of animal rescuers, decided to help."
The prosthetic shell is made of a super-durable plastic that will keep Fredy safe and secure.
Of course, they did have to do something about the jarring white color.
It's not really effective camouflage!
But not to worry. Not only did the Animal Avengers create a perfect replica shell for Freddy, but they also gave it a custom paint job that mimics a tortoise's natural shell pattern and allows Freddy to blend into his surroundings.
And he's looking pretty good!
Since working on Freddy, the Avengers have also repaired and replaced the beaks of three toucans, a parrot, and a goose, allowing them to eat again.
Check out Freddy's transformation, and see the creation of the shell in action in the video below.
Be sure to SHARE this amazing story and the incredible way that technology can help animals as well as humans!
