with videoAn American orthopedist was given perhaps the most extraordinary job of his life when a giraffe in San Diego was born last February with a deformity in her front legs.
The giraffe Msituni was born in one of the outdoor pens of the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. “We knew right away that there was something wrong with her paws,” said Matt Kinney, a veterinarian for the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. “The angle they were in was wrong. Normally the leg is straight, but with her the joints were overstretched.”
Something had to be done quickly, says the vet. “We knew it would get worse if we didn’t do anything and she wouldn’t survive outside.” If the giraffe couldn’t stand on its feet, it wouldn’t be able to feed itself.
A special patient
Because the zookeepers did not know how to help the animal themselves, they turned to orthopedic surgeon Ara Mirzaian. He developed special knee braces for the beast. It was something different for Mirzaian, who normally only makes braces for people, from Paralympians to children with scoliosis (curvature of the spine).
It feels good to know that we saved a giraffe’s life
“It felt quite surreal when I first heard about it,” Mirzaian says. “Of course, I immediately went online to study giraffes non-stop so that I would be all set by the time I met the giraffe.”
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Adopted by another giraffe
The orthopedist is relieved that the surgery has helped. “It was so beautiful to see such an animal in a brace,” he said. “It feels good to know that we saved a giraffe’s life.”
After the braces were perfectly matched to Msituni, she received a brace with a special print. “We chose a giraffe pattern just for fun,” says Mirzaian. “We always do that with children too. They can choose a pattern for their brace from a superhero or their favorite team. So why not do the same with the giraffe do?”
In total, Msituni wore the knee braces for 39 days. Then her legs straightened again and she was slowly introduced to her mother and the rest of the herd at the zoo. Unfortunately, her mother no longer accepted her after the period that they had been separated, but another female giraffe has, as it were, adopted her.
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