Courageous Animals With Prosthetic Limbs (9 pics)

Losing a limb is tough for a human and it's just as tough for an animal. Especially if they walk around on 4 limbs. Take a look at the devices which gave these animals a new lease on life.

Chris P. Bacon

When Chris P. Bacon was born with malformed hind legs, a vet adopted him and made him a set of wheels from old toys. Chris has now graduated to a more grown-up wheelchair typically used by disabled dogs.

Naki’o

Naki’o, a red heeler mix, was found in a foreclosed home in Nebraska with his legs and tail frozen in puddles of water-turned ice. He became the first dog to receive four prosthetic limbs.

Meadow

Meadow, a calf in New Mexico, lost her hind legs to frostbite. Ranchers rescued her and a team of 15 veterinarians gave her prosthetic limbs.

Motala

This elephant in Thailand lost a front leg in 1999 when she stepped on a land mine. In 2006 she got her first prosthetic limb. She’s received others since then as her weight has changed.

Oscar

Oscar the cat lost his hind legs after a nasty encounter with a farm machine. Instead of being put down, Oscar was outfitted with artificial paws.

Dietmar

After losing its leg in an accident, this white stork was given an artificial limb.

Stork

A stork with a broken beak was found in Hungary, so a specialist in dental prostheses gave it a plastic beak and returned it to the wild.

Winter

Winter the dolphin was discovered in Mosquito Lagoon, Fla. with her tail tightly entangled in a crab-trap line. She was brought to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Clearwater, Fla., where she was given a prosthetic tail.

Gamera

Following a leg injury, this 12-year-old tortoise was able to inch along once again thanks to the creativity of veterinarians who attached a ball wheel to his shell.