There are times when man escapes. Violence can lead to situations that are difficult to justify. Especially when human needlessness comes from children, whose actions should be defined by pure intentions.
The story of abuse that follows was caused by teenagers. The reason is unknown, the damage is great. And the victim is not a human, but a bird, named Grecia, which refers to our country. In 2015, a group of young people cut off the beak of the toucan in Costa Rica, with his image to go around the world and cause sadness, horror and disgust.
When the bird was taken to the vet Carmen Soto was in a miserable condition: injured, hungry, on the verge of death. "It was covered in blood, it hurt terribly. "He could not be fed because the entire upper part of his beak had been cut," the doctor had said in an earlier interview.
At the Zoo Avenue Rescue Center, Soto and her colleagues gave first aid to the toucan and named it Grecia, from the area of the same name where she was found injured. His gender was not determined. This is because toucans are the same in appearance and the only way to determine their sex is through a blood test. His caregivers, however, did not want to stress him any more and postponed it.
As soon as the bird Grecia started to take over, the workers at the rescue center "Zoo Avenue" uploaded a photo of him on social networks. The image of a beautiful toucan that had been abused to such an extent went viral. Members animal welfare organizations and citizens of Costa Rica - but also other countries around the world - took to the streets to protest, calling for a law with severe penalties for animal cruelty.
Something had to be done for the toucan to survive. An international crowdfunding campaign was soon launched to gain a prosthetic beak. The colored beaks of exotic birds are vital to their survival. They not only serve them to eat, but with it they regulate their body temperature, their balance and send messages to the opposite sex about their mating. People became aware and the campaign paid off almost $ 10.00. The Grecia toucan was a step towards new life.
His story sparked the interest of three 3D printing companies (Grupo SG, EwaCorp and Elementos 3D) who agreed to work together to create the new beak. "It's really great to be able to help with its technology XNUMXD printing an injured toucan and show the world that Costa Rica has the skills to do that, "said Elementos 3D director Mariela Fonseca.
Scientists had to meet important challenges. On the one hand the prosthesis beak that they would make should bring a balance to the bird as the beak is only 1/20 of its weight. On the other hand, they had to be very careful how they placed it so that it would not create any form of deformity in the toucan.
The original idea of fastening the prosthetic beak with needles was quickly rejected. Veterinarian Carmen Soto ruled out this option as the stump (part of an organ that remains after amputation) was not dead cartilage, but a sensitive area with blood vessels and nerve endings. This already showed the unbearable pain that Grecia felt when he was abused. The vet wanted the prosthesis to be comfortable for the exotic bird to get used to and start using it.
The team that would give the toucan its new life made a lot of beaks. The bird could not live again in the wild, it had become a permanent resident of the rescue center and so all efforts were aimed at making its daily life easier in it.
After months of effort, the scientists were able to make an exact 3D copy of the beak they took from another dead toucan. Engineers, ornithologists and even dentists participated in the effort!
The new member was placed in the exotic bird and he accepted that well, proving that he was a great fighter. In fact, the 1,5D printed beak gave a new feature to the toucan. "When he lost his beak, he also lost part of his chanting. With the prosthesis, his song is better ", said the communication manager of the rescue center Hugo Alonso. His recovery period lasted XNUMX years.
"Grecia was depressed when he lost his beak but now he is happy again. A few days after the prosthesis was inserted, he started singing again, something he had been doing since he was brutally abused. He can now feed himself, use his beak to even bathe, "said Magaly Quesada, director of the Zoo Ave Rescue Center.
His abuse prompted then-Costa Rican President Luis Guillermo Solis to sign a law punishing those who abuse animals, while hunting was banned.
Grecia's story became a documentary by Animal Planet entitled "Toucan Nation".