22 Year Old Hornbill Bird in Singapore Receives a Custom 3D Printed Casque After Cancer Diagnosis

Jary the Hornbill

In July 2018, a beautiful 22 year old hornbill bird named Jary who lives at the Jurong Bird Park in Singapore was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma. The aggressive cancer had destroyed part of his beak and most of his casque (the helmet atop his beak). Not wanting Jary to suffer any further, Dr. Hsu Li Chieh of the National University of Singapore and Vet Emergency & Specialty Hospital, performed surgery to remove the cancerous cells and replace Jary’s casque with a brand new one that had been custom 3D printed. Since that time, Jary has adapted quite well to his prosthesis and even colored it himself.

https://www.facebook.com/wrs.sg/videos/537339516708919/

Jary Colouring His Casque

MRI Jary

MRI

photos via Wildlife Reserves Singapore (video)

via BBC

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.