Baby Giraffe with Leg Problem Gets Special Braces
2022-05-20
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1A baby giraffe born with a leg abnormality has been fitted with special leg braces to help her walk.
2The giraffe is named Msituni.
3She was born on February 1 at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in California.
4She suffers from a condition called carpal hypertension.
5It affected the young animal's front legs, which became hyperextended.
6Msituni weighed more than 55 kilograms at birth.
7The abnormality was putting a lot of pressure on her joints and bones.
8Zoo workers feared that she could die if they did not quickly correct the condition.
9This is because it could prevent the giraffe from getting food and from being able to walk around.
10Zoo officials called in experts to treat the giraffe.
11The experts were from the Hanger Clinic in Escondido, California.
12The medical team had a lot of experience fitting people with braces to correct leg problems.
13But the clinic had never treated an animal before.
14Ara Mirzaian was a member of the medical team.
15He told The Associated Press that, at first, he found the situation "surreal."
16Mirzaian added that he immediately went online to start learning as much as possible about giraffes.
17It is not completely unusual for zoos to seek help from medical professionals who are used to treating people.
18Earlier this year, a zoo in Tampa, Florida partnered with experts to fit a great hornbill bird suffering from cancer with a new prosthetic beak.
19And in 2006, a Hanger Clinic team in Florida created a prosthetic for a dolphin that had lost its tail after getting stuck in ropes from a crab trap.
20That story was told in the 2011 movie Dolphin Tale.
21For Msituni's braces to work, the devices needed to have a wide range of motion.
22They also needed to be strong and long-lasting.
23Hanger worked with a company that often makes braces for horses.
24The team created models of the giraffe's legs.
25It took the team about a week to produce the braces, which were made of a material called carbon graphite.
26In the end, Msituni only needed one brace.
27The other leg corrected itself with the help of a temporary prosthetic device.
28While the giraffe was sleeping during the fitting operation, Mirzaian was moved by the animal's beauty.
29He said he had to give her a hug.
30"It was just amazing seeing such a big, beautiful creature just laying there in front of me," he said.
31After 10 days in the special brace, the problem was corrected.
32In total, Msituni was in braces for 39 days from the day she was born.
33She stayed in the animal hospital the whole time.
34Msituni was then slowly introduced to her mother and the other giraffes.
35Her mother never took her back.
36But officials at the park said another female giraffe started looking out for Msituni.
37They said that she was now able to run with the other giraffes.
38Mirzaian said he planned to put up a picture in his office of the baby giraffe wearing her special brace so that the children he treats might be inspired to wear their own braces.
39"It was the coolest thing to see an animal like that walk in a brace," he said.
40"It feels good to know we saved a giraffe's life."
41I'm Bryan Lynn.
1A baby giraffe born with a leg abnormality has been fitted with special leg braces to help her walk. 2The giraffe is named Msituni. She was born on February 1 at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in California. She suffers from a condition called carpal hypertension. It affected the young animal's front legs, which became hyperextended. 3Msituni weighed more than 55 kilograms at birth. The abnormality was putting a lot of pressure on her joints and bones. Zoo workers feared that she could die if they did not quickly correct the condition. This is because it could prevent the giraffe from getting food and from being able to walk around. 4Zoo officials called in experts to treat the giraffe. The experts were from the Hanger Clinic in Escondido, California. The medical team had a lot of experience fitting people with braces to correct leg problems. But the clinic had never treated an animal before. 5Ara Mirzaian was a member of the medical team. He told The Associated Press that, at first, he found the situation "surreal." Mirzaian added that he immediately went online to start learning as much as possible about giraffes. 6It is not completely unusual for zoos to seek help from medical professionals who are used to treating people. Earlier this year, a zoo in Tampa, Florida partnered with experts to fit a great hornbill bird suffering from cancer with a new prosthetic beak. 7And in 2006, a Hanger Clinic team in Florida created a prosthetic for a dolphin that had lost its tail after getting stuck in ropes from a crab trap. That story was told in the 2011 movie Dolphin Tale. 8For Msituni's braces to work, the devices needed to have a wide range of motion. They also needed to be strong and long-lasting. Hanger worked with a company that often makes braces for horses. 9The team created models of the giraffe's legs. It took the team about a week to produce the braces, which were made of a material called carbon graphite. 10In the end, Msituni only needed one brace. The other leg corrected itself with the help of a temporary prosthetic device. 11While the giraffe was sleeping during the fitting operation, Mirzaian was moved by the animal's beauty. He said he had to give her a hug. "It was just amazing seeing such a big, beautiful creature just laying there in front of me," he said. 12After 10 days in the special brace, the problem was corrected. In total, Msituni was in braces for 39 days from the day she was born. She stayed in the animal hospital the whole time. 13Msituni was then slowly introduced to her mother and the other giraffes. Her mother never took her back. But officials at the park said another female giraffe started looking out for Msituni. They said that she was now able to run with the other giraffes. 14Mirzaian said he planned to put up a picture in his office of the baby giraffe wearing her special brace so that the children he treats might be inspired to wear their own braces. 15"It was the coolest thing to see an animal like that walk in a brace," he said. "It feels good to know we saved a giraffe's life." 16I'm Bryan Lynn. 17The Associated Press reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for VOA Learning English. 18We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. 19____________________________________________________________________ 20Words in This Story 21brace - n. something that supports or holds something in the correct position 22hyperextend - v. forcefully extend a limb or joint beyond its normal limits 23surreal - adj. something that seems strange and not real, like something in a dream 24prosthetic - n. an artificial body part, such as an arm, leg, or foot, that replaces a missing part 25hug - v. to put your arms around someone and hold them tight 26inspire - v. to make someone want to do something