Baby Giraffe with Leg Problem Gets Special Braces

A baby giraffe born with a leg abnormality has been fitted with special leg braces² to help her walk.

The giraffe is named Msituni. She was born on February 1 at the San Diego Zoo Safari³ Park in California. She suffers from a condition called carpal hypertension. It affected⁴ the young animal's front legs, which became hyperextended.

Msituni weighed more than 55 kilograms at birth. The abnormality was putting a lot of pressure on her joints⁶ and bones. Zoo workers feared that she could die if they did not quickly correct the condition. This is because it could prevent the giraffe from getting food and from being able to walk around.

Zoo officials called in experts to treat the giraffe. The experts were from the Hanger⁷ Clinic in Escondido, California. The medical team had a lot of experience fitting people with braces to correct leg problems. But the clinic had never treated an animal before.

Ara Mirzaian was a member of the medical team. He told The Associated Press that, at first, he found the situation "surreal." Mirzaian added that he immediately went online to start learning as much as possible about giraffes.

It is not completely unusual for zoos to seek help from medical professionals who are used to treating people. Earlier this year, a zoo in Tampa, Florida partnered with experts to fit a great hornbill bird suffering from cancer with a new prosthetic beak⁸.

And in 2006, a Hanger Clinic team in Florida created a prosthetic for a dolphin that had lost its tail after getting stuck in ropes from a crab⁹ trap. That story was told in the 2011 movie Dolphin Tale.

For Msituni's braces to work, the devices needed to have a wide range of motion. They also needed to be strong and long-lasting. Hanger worked with a company that often makes braces for horses.

The team created models of the giraffe's legs. It took the team about a week to produce the braces, which were made of a material called carbon graphite.

In the end, Msituni only needed one brace¹. The other leg corrected itself with the help of a temporary prosthetic device.

While the giraffe was sleeping during the fitting operation, Mirzaian was moved by the animal's beauty. He said he had to give her a hug. "It was just amazing seeing such a big, beautiful creature just laying there in front of me," he said.

After 10 days in the special brace, the problem was corrected. In total, Msituni was in braces for 39 days from the day she was born. She stayed in the animal hospital the whole time.

Msituni was then slowly introduced to her mother and the other giraffes. Her mother never took her back. But officials at the park said another female giraffe started looking out for Msituni. They said that she was now able to run with the other giraffes.

Mirzaian said he planned to put up a picture in his office of the baby giraffe wearing her special brace so that the children he treats might be inspired to wear their own braces.

"It was the coolest thing to see an animal like that walk in a brace," he said. "It feels good to know we saved a giraffe's life."

Words in This Story

brace – n. something that supports or holds something in the correct position

hyperextend – v. forcefully extend a limb or joint⁵ beyond its normal limits

surreal – adj. something that seems strange and not real, like something in a dream

prosthetic – n. an artificial body part, such as an arm, leg, or foot, that replaces a missing part

hug – v. to put your arms around someone and hold them tight

inspire – v. to make someone want to do something

1 brace   

n. 支柱,曲柄,大括号; v. 绷紧,顶住,(为困难或坏事)做准备

参考例句：

• My daughter has to wear a brace on her teeth. 我的女儿得戴牙套以矫正牙齿。
• You had better brace yourself for some bad news. 有些坏消息,你最好做好准备。

2 braces   

n.吊带，背带；托架( brace的名词复数 )；箍子；括弧；（儿童）牙箍v.支住( brace的第三人称单数 )；撑牢；使自己站稳；振作起来

参考例句：

• The table is shaky because the braces are loose. 这张桌子摇摇晃晃，因为支架全松了。
• You don't need braces if you're wearing a belt! 要系腰带，就用不着吊带了。

3 safari   

n.远征旅行(探险、考察)；探险队，狩猎队

参考例句：

• When we go on safari we like to cook on an open fire.我们远行狩猎时，喜欢露天生火做饭。
• They went on safari searching for the rare black rhinoceros.他们进行探险旅行，搜寻那稀有的黑犀牛。

4 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

5 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

6 joints   

接头( joint的名词复数 )； 关节； 公共场所（尤指价格低廉的饮食和娱乐场所） （非正式）； 一块烤肉 （英式英语）

参考例句：

• Expansion joints of various kinds are fitted on gas mains. 各种各样的伸缩接头被安装在煤气的总管道上了。
• Expansion joints of various kinds are fitted on steam pipes. 各种各样的伸缩接头被安装在蒸气管道上了。

7 hanger   

n.吊架，吊轴承；挂钩

参考例句：

• I hung my coat up on a hanger.我把外衣挂在挂钩上。
• The ship is fitted with a large helicopter hanger and flight deck.这艘船配备有一个较大的直升飞机悬挂装置和飞行甲板。

8 beak   

n.鸟嘴，茶壶嘴，钩形鼻

参考例句：

• The bird had a worm in its beak.鸟儿嘴里叼着一条虫。
• This bird employs its beak as a weapon.这种鸟用嘴作武器。

9 crab   

n.螃蟹，偏航，脾气乖戾的人，酸苹果；vi.捕蟹，偏航，发牢骚；vt.使偏航，发脾气

参考例句：

• I can't remember when I last had crab.我不记得上次吃蟹是什么时候了。
• The skin on my face felt as hard as a crab's back.我脸上的皮仿佛僵硬了，就象螃蟹的壳似的。