Mutilated Costa Rican toucan 'to get prosthetic beak'

11 February 2015 Last updated at 11:58

A toucan in Costa Rica which lost the upper part of its beak after being attacked by youths looks set to be fitted with a prosthetic replacement.

Four Costa Rican companies that have volunteered their help say they possess the skills to create a prosthesis for the injured bird.

They say they will use 3D printing to create the first prosthesis of this kind in the region.

In the US, prosthetic beaks have been created for an eagle and a penguin.

Outrage

The male toucan, named Grecia after the area where it was found, was taken to an animal rescue centre in January.

Pictures of its mutilated beak caused outrage after they were circulated in Costa Rican newspapers and on social media.

A campaign to provide the bird with a prosthetic beak quickly raised thousands of dollars and a number of local companies offered their help.

Four of them, Elementos 3d, Ewa!corps, Publicidad Web and Grupo Sommerus, said on Tuesday that they were confident they could design a suitable prosthetic for Grecia and fit it.

Toucans use their beaks to eat and also to regulate their body temperature.

Continued ...

Toucan’s beak broken after teenagers beat it with sticks

A toucan has been left permanently injured after a group of teenagers beat it with a stick until its beak broke off.

The bird, who can no longer eat or drink by itself, now faces the rest of its life being cared for at an animal rescue centre.

The tropical bird was handed over to Animal Rescue Centre Zoo Ave in the city of Alajuela, Costa Rica, after locals witnessed youths laughing while they beat the animal.

Vet Silo Hurtado Pina said: ‘We are exploring the possibility of giving it a prosthesis but even if that is successful it is unlikely it will ever be able to leave the sanctuary.

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We said peak hour not beak hour: Toucan photobombs traffic camera in Brazil

A group of traffic controllers could be forgiven for thinking they were about to be attacked by a giant toucan when they saw this footage.

A traffic camera was performing its duties of monitoring highway conditions around the city of São Paulo, in Brazil, when the curious animal made a guest appearance.

The recently released video shows the bird trying to eat the camera before giving it a hard inquisitive look.

Luckily, his actions didn’t lead to any traffic disruptions in the city, which at the time was preparing to host several games during the World Cup.

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