Zoo sticks its neck out to give baby giraffe a leg up to survival

A three-month-old giraffe at the San Diego Zoo has received a leg brace to correct limb abnormalities.

The female calf, named Msituni, was fitted with a custom orthotic brace on her front leg to correct a hyperextension of the carpi, bones equivalent to those in the human wrist, that made it difficult for her to stand and walk.

The hyperextension, the joint going the wrong way, was the big concern with her.

—  Matt Kinney, veterinarian

The zoo worked with a company which usually makes orthotics and prosthetics for humans to make the custom brace for Msituni.

“The hyperextension, the joint going the wrong way, was the big concern with her,” said Matt Kinney, senior veterinarian at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.

“So initially we stabilised that joint with casts while we had some time to purchase some braces, just off-the-shelf braces. We applied those the next day and realised they weren’t quite strong enough and needed to take it a step up.”

The custom brace is made of moulded carbon graphite decorated with a giraffe pattern to allow Msituni to blend in to her surroundings.

The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance said Msituni’s chances of survival would have been very low without the treatment.

– Reuters