Islamabad-An injured hornbill that was found in Thailand with part of its beak snapped off can now eat again after vets fitted it with a replacement made using a 3D printer.
The adult bird — dubbed ‘Coco’ — was found sprawled on the ground with a broken wing and its lower bill missing in Kanchanaburi, western Thailand. Wildlife officers are unsure how Coco was injured, but believe that she may have been shot or attacked by hunters or poachers and then left for dead in the forest.
Although veterinarians were able to give urgent care and stabilize the bird, they were sadly unable to find its missing bill in order to reattach it. Realizing it would be impossible for Coco to eat without her signature long bill, they scanned her body and used 3D printing technology to create plastic replacements. These prosthetics — the first of which broke — were attached to what remained of the bird’s lower bill with super-strength synthetic steel glue.

Footage taken at the rehabilitation centre recently, shows Coco now happily tucking into pieces of fruit and seeds using her new beak.