Pedro is a resilient turtle who has been through quite a lot. When the turtle lost both of his legs, there were serious questions about his ability to survive, though. Many believed that he was not ever going to walk again. However, some creative vets decided that they were going to step up to the plate on his behalf. They wanted to make sure that he was able to continue getting around.
Wait until you see the tools that they used to create his new makeshift wheelchair! It all started when Pedro was first adopted. The turtle had already lost one of his legs. One day, he escaped from his new home. By the time he got back, the other leg was also gone! The good folks at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital at Louisiana State University wanted to make sure that he was being given the best chance possible.
“There was nothing medically wrong with him,” says Ginger Guttner. As the communications manager for the School of Veterinary Medicine at Louisiana State, she is definitely qualified to make this assessment. Despite the fact that he was fine from a medical standpoint, the team still wanted to help him out. After taking some time to think about it, they devised a perfect solution.
They were going to use a car kit! The car kit was not just any car kit, though. The turtle was going to get some much needed help from none other than the Lego company. A zoological intern at LSU came up with the idea. The wheels from the Lego car kit were removed, so that a walking device could be fashioned for poor Pedro. An animal safe epoxy was used to create the wheelchair for him.
Some syringe parts were added as well. In case you were worried, the Lego pieces are able to be snapped off when needed. This keeps Pedro’s shell from being damaged. This is another life in the life of the veterinary community. They are always improvising like this. You would be stunned to learn how much equipment is designed in such a manner.
We are sure that Pedro is highly appreciative. He may not be able to express himself but if he could speak, we bet that he would be more than happy to share his gratitude. Now that he has the ability to zoom around in his new “wheelchair”, his family says that he is enjoying life more than ever.
Source: LadBibble
