Beauty is one of the luckiest bald eagles alive today, because not only has she survived being shot in the face by poachers, she now sports a very chic, very modern 3d printed beak for her chewing pleasure.
The good folks at the Birds Of Prey Northwest sanctuary never gave up on Beauty, determined to do whatever they can for her instead of resorting to euthanasia.
Here’s more on this heartwarming story:
Raptor specialist Jane Fink Cantwell, who dresses like Indiana Jones, refused to take “dead bald eagle” for an answer. She joined forces with mechanical engineer Nate Calvin of Kinetic Engineering Group, and together with other scientists, engineers, and even a dentist, they designed a nylon polymer beak that would perfectly replace Beauty’s lost upper mandible.
Calvin developed the new beak using a 3-D modeling program, then used a 3-D printer to fabricate it. After an arduous procedure to attach her prosthetic, Beauty was able to eat, drink, and preen herself on her own.
