BALTIMORE -- A local turtle is getting a helping leg up with a customized Lego wheelchair.
Veterinarians at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore have built a custom-made wheelchair to help a wild turtle move and heal.
Ellen Bronson, Senior Director of Health Conservation with the Maryland Zoo, said the wild turtle was found at a nearby park. He was near death and in need of life-saving surgery. They believe he was hit by a car.
“He was in really bad shape when we first found him," she said. "He had several fractures or breaks on the bottom of his shell.”
Because the fractures were on his underside, that painful surgery was followed by a painful recovery that impacted the turtle any time he tried to move.
“So we tried a couple of different things, with wire and tape and it just didn’t really help," said Bronson.
One of the zoo’s externs, Gregg Fraess, got in touch with a Lego enthusiast in Denmark.
“I sent her some sketches about the turtle and what we would need," said Fraess.
They designed a wheelchair that attaches to his sides, so that it lifts his shell off the ground.
“The Lego is attached with plumber’s puddy to the sides," said Bronson.
The wheelchair gives the turtle a full range of motion. He can even pop wheelies with it. Bronson said the turtle’s health also took a turn for the better.
“He immediately turned around. He immediately was brighter and much more mobile. And since that time, he’s just been cruising," said Bronson.
Bronson said he still has a long road to recovery ahead. But they expect to be able to release him back into the wild sometime next summer.
Because he’s a wild turtle, the zoo’s vets don’t give him a name.
The turtle was part of a monitoring program because his species has been on the decline. Because of that, they know he is more than 18 years old. It’s now hoped he’ll be able to live several decades more.
