A Sweet Tortoise Who Survived a Fire Is Given a New 3D Printed, Hand Painted Replacement Shell

A sweet tortoise named Freddy barely survived a terrible forest fire in Brazil that burned her legs and melted most of her shell. The burns were so bad rescuers called her Freddy, named after the scarred main character from A Nightmare on Elm Street. Luckily, a few really wonderful humans stepped in to create brand new 3D printed, hand painted hull. This new lease on life was all created by noted 3D designer Cicero Moraes, who created an amazing 4-piece interlocking printed hull, artist Yuri Caldera, who painstakingly created the camouflage design for Freddy’s shell and veterinarian Rodrigo Rabelo, the amazing veterinarian whose hard work and that of his team helped Freddy to survive and thrive.

With the help of veterinarians, 3D designers, and a local artist, Freddy the tortoise was able to receive a hand-painted, 3D-printed hull after losing most of her shell in a devastating forest fire. Freddy was found after the fire left her with burned forelegs and a damaged hull. Freddy had lost 85 percent of her shell, and over the next months, it continued falling off.

A more detailed look at the process (French narration)