Giraffe's "Hagumi" foot injury is also supported by the brace September 21 11:01

"Hagumi", a female giraffe born in April at a zoo in Hiroshima City.

From the time I was born, I had a leg disorder and couldn't stand on my own.

I want you to be able to walk and run freely like other giraffes someday.

The man who responded to the wishes of the zoo was a man who is a prosthetist who works on human prostheses.

(Hiroshima Broadcasting Station reporter Yasue Hata)

“I may not be able to live ...”

Hagumi was born on April 9th.

In the morning, when the zookeeper checked the giraffe house, he found Hagumi sitting with his head upright.

Giraffes normally start to stand within an hour or two at the latest after birth.

Hagumi's body is already dry and it should have been a long time.

Shiho Domen, who is in charge of breeding, felt uncomfortable.

Shiho Domen, in charge of breeding

"When I looked closely, my legs were bent in a strange direction. I was so shocked that when I first saw him, he might not be able to live anymore. I felt like I couldn't do it. "

I want to stand up somehow

Hagumi had the "tendons" at the toes of both hind legs stretched out and bent in a direction that would not normally bend.

If you compare it to a human being in an easy-to-understand manner, it looks like the lower part of the knee is bent forward.

If you don't stand, you can't drink your mother's milk, which is about 2 meters high.

At the zoo, I fixed it with a cast that day to prevent my legs from bending.

Hagumi repeats falling down trying to stand up.

Three days for the zookeeper and veterinarian to wait while feeding cow's milk.

Hagumi stood on her own and was able to drink her mother's milk.

Another way that is not a cast

Hagumi with a cast gradually became able to walk, albeit awkwardly.

However, you cannot move joints or muscles while fixing them with a cast.

And as I gained weight, my casts were more and more broken and broken.

At the zoo, I thought I needed another way, not a cast, to be able to walk closer to nature.

Mr. Shiho Domen, who is in charge of breeding

"The" tendon "develops and becomes stronger as you actually use it, so you should put your own weight on it and prevent your legs from breaking forward. I thought I needed something to be a supporter instead of a cast. "

Challenge of prosthetist

Therefore, the zoo relied on Mr. Tetsuo Yamada, a lecturer at Hiroshima International University and a prosthetist.

Mr. Yamada is a professional who makes artificial limbs and orthoses.

I've only made a dog's artificial limbs once, but of course it's my first time to wear a giraffe orthosis.

I visited the zoo many times and observed the giraffe walking and the original angle of the legs.

Mr. Tetsuo Yamada, a prosthetist,

"I don't know how many kilograms a giraffe weighs, and I was groping because there was no data on where the nerves were and where the blood vessels were passing."

Making equipment by trial and error

Late May.

I anesthetized Hagumi and took a mold to make a brace.

Based on that pattern, Mr. Yamada used almost the same material as a human artificial limb, and made an orthosis that sandwiches Hagumi's foot from the front and back.

And June 7th.

I put a brace on the anesthetized Hagumi's right leg.

Make sure you can move the joints and muscles you need while supporting your foot in the normal orientation with the brace.

Hagumi woke up from anesthesia and was able to stand up firmly with her feet.

"Hagumi, it's cool" The

joy spread among the zoo staff and Mr. Yamada.

However, because Hagumi hurt, I decided to remove this brace immediately.

Prosthetist Tetsuo Yamada

"In the first orthosis, I didn't like it because I was holding down a part of the back of my foot. With my child, he didn't tell me what was painful or bad. I just put it on. I just hate it. "

After that, Mr. Yamada changed the shape of the brace so that he wouldn't dislike Hagumi and made the second work.

I didn't dislike Hagumi, but this time I was worried about the strength.

So, just one week after the completion of the second work, I made the third work with increased strength to withstand the weight.

It's been about a month and a half since I first put on the brace.

Hagumi, who wore the third orthosis, was able to go out and walk around.

Mr. Shiho Domen, in charge of breeding

"Because I started using my legs, I can move better than ever, and thanks to the fact that I can move, I eat more. Along with that, Hagumi's legs have become I've grown so much and I'm getting fat. "

Equipment that can respond to growth

Hagumi is getting bigger and bigger.

Weighing 57 kg at birth, it was estimated to be 150 kg.

This time, we needed a brace that could handle the growth of Hagumi.

When making the 4th work, Mr. Yamada made it even stronger than the 3rd work, and made it with a margin in size so that it could respond to the speed of growth.

4th work New attempt

Mid-August.

Mr. Yamada went to the zoo with the completed fourth orthosis.

"It's cool!" "You increased the number of belts!"

The people at the zoo were pleased.

In fact, for the first time at the zoo, I was trying to change the brace without anesthetizing Gumi.

Shiho Domen, in charge of breeding

"It is safer for the legs to change the brace while forcibly sleeping under anesthesia, but it is extremely dangerous for the giraffe itself. Every time you anesthetize, maybe you die today. I was fighting the fear that I might end up

Giraffes are the same ruminants as cows.

During anesthesia, things in the stomach can regurgitate and cause aspiration pneumonia.

To prevent this from happening, someone always lifted Hagumi's head while under anesthesia.

In addition, it sways when you anesthetize and when you wake up from anesthesia, which can cause you to hit your head.

As Hagumi's body grew larger, it became more difficult for people to support it.

For this reason, at the zoo, I usually touched Hagumi's feet to get used to being touched so that they could be replaced without anesthesia.

Because of that, I was able to replace my right foot smoothly on this day.

However, the left foot could not be replaced.

Shiho Domen, who is in charge of breeding,

"I feel like I have a pain in my left leg and I don't like it anymore! I feel nervous with the new brace, so I'll take some time."

At the zoo, wait for Hagumi to settle down and try again the next day.

I was able to put a brace on my left foot as well.

Sometimes running

September 10th, about a month later.

There was a figure of Hagumi walking in a large playground with a light footstep.

I am with my mother Megumi.

I was completely used to the new orthosis, chasing Megumi, and occasionally seeing him running.

By exercising for a longer period of time, if the legs of Hagumi grow and the length of the bones catches up with the length of the extended "tendon", it may be possible to remove the brace in the future. Hmm.

Mr. Shiho Domen, who is in charge of breeding,

"I am really grateful to Mr. Yamada. If possible, I would be happy if he could show me a lot of running around in front of the customers and become a child who gives me courage or energy. I think

Prosthetist Tetsuo Yamada

"I think the best thing is that the orthosis grows well and comes off. It may not be necessary to make the fifth orthosis. I will continue to watch Hagumi's growth. I will continue

Growing up quickly

Hagumi was brought up by the hands of many people and was named with the hope that it will continue to grow quickly.

As the name suggests, I am now able to walk with the support of many people.

Hagumi, who was worried that she

might not be

able to live in the future, is moving forward step by step.

I feel that the figure teaches us a lot.

Hiroshima Broadcasting Station Reporter

Yasue Hata