Toucan in Brazil Gets 3D Printed Beak!

Thanks to some resourceful researchers in Brazil, Tieta now has a new beak, printed on a 3D printer.

Tieta the toucan was missing about half of her upper beak when she was found at an animal fair in Rio de Janeiro. Rescuers think that may have been the result of animal smugglers treating her badly, though its also possible that she came off worse in a fight after being locked in a box with a larger toucan.

When you’re a toucan, you need your beak.

Researchers hope that Tieta will be able to have chicks and feed them with the beak but unfortunately she won’t be able to be returned to the wild.

A research team from three universities took around three months to design her new beak, which is roughly 4cm long and weighs just 4gms. Tieta is already using it to munch on maggots and cockroaches, which are staples in her diet.

Taciana Sherlock, coordinator of the centre of Brazilian Institute of Environment, said they did not know how Tieta had lost part of her beak. “But she will have a more autonomous life”.