CINCINNATI — Ever heard of a gorilla-proof cast? The Cincinnati Zoo is hoping they've found one with the help of GE Additive.
After 11-year-old gorilla Gladys had surgery on a broken arm she sustained during a scuffle with two other females in her troop, the zoo placed her into a temporary cast that couldn't exactly match gorilla power.
"Gladys is naturally curious about her new cast, and she doesn’t fully understand the need to preserve it for her recovery," Dr. Mike Wenninger, the zoo's director of animal health, said in a release after Gladys destroyed the temporary cast. "So, we turned to our friends at GE to help us create a sturdier cast."
The result was a 3D-printed titanium cast made of the same materials as the screws and plates put into her arm during surgery. Shannon Morman, GE Additive's advanced lead engineer, said the cast took around 65 hours to print and was delivered less than a week after the zoo's request.
Gladys will have to wear the cast for around four weeks while she heals, the zoo said. She will not be around her troop mates until after the cast comes off.
The zoo's zoological manager of primates, Victoria McGee, said Gladys isn't the biggest fan of the cast but "she is tolerating it better than she did the first one."
"Before the titanium cast, we were very limited on the spaces Gladys could safely be in. With this addition, Gladys can 'graduate' to additional behind-the-scenes spaces that will allow her to have more choice and exploration throughout the day," McGee said.
The care team will continue to monitor Gladys and provide around-the-clock care as she works her way back.
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