Ground hornbill gets new beak from 3D printer
A bird at Artis received two custom-made prostheses after its upper and lower beak broke off.
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A southern ground hornbill at Artis has received two new beak sections made using 3D technology. According to the specialists involved, the procedure is, as far as is known, unique worldwide for a bird.
The male ground hornbill had lost both its upper and lower beak. As a result, it could still survive, but was less able to eat, preen its feathers and display other natural behaviour. Artis therefore decided to investigate whether a full reconstruction was possible.
A CT scan and the preserved parts of the original beak were used in the preparation. This allowed the researchers to tailor the shape of the prostheses to the anatomy of this particular bird.
Utrecht University’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicine carried out the operation. Joëll Magré of UMC Utrecht developed the printed prostheses. Amnovis made the titanium components used to attach the plastic beak sections to the remaining beak.
The first signs after the procedure were positive. According to the parties involved, the bird began using its new beak on the day of the operation. The following morning, it picked up food independently, and a few days later it used the beak again to preen its feathers.
The procedure was therefore technically successful, but that does not yet say how durable the prostheses will be in the longer term. Nor is it clear whether a similar approach would work equally well for other bird species or in cases of more serious damage.
The application does show how imaging and customised manufacturing from human medicine can be used in veterinary medicine. The aim at Artis was not only for the ground hornbill to be able to eat, but also to resume as much species-specific behaviour as possible.
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The restorative operation and the first observed behaviours were confirmed by two public sources. The world-first claim was carefully attributed and not presented as an undisputed record.
- confirmed A southern ground hornbill at Artis received two 3D-printed beak prostheses. — Described by oost-online and reported via Artis. source
- confirmed Utrecht University carried out the operation. — Mentioned in the independent local reporting. source
- confirmed The prostheses were attached using titanium components. — Described by oost-online on the basis of information from the specialists involved. source
- confirmed The bird was able to eat independently shortly after the operation. — Reported in the local coverage of the procedure. source
- uncertain The procedure is unique worldwide for a bird. — This is a claim by the specialists involved; independent worldwide verification is lacking. source
Editor's note
The operation, institutions involved and initial results were reported by Artis and an independent local source. The claim that this is unique worldwide comes from the specialists involved and has not been independently established by an international registry; the exact date of the operation has not been made public.Sources
More on this in Dutch media
- De Telegraaf — „artis hoornraaf”
- AD — „artis hoornraaf”
- de Volkskrant — „artis hoornraaf”