18 Animals Whose Lives Were Improved by Prosthetics

Chris P. Bacon 


When injuries cause the loss of a functioning body part, the results are the same in animals as well as people. There is a sense of profound loss and a period of grief and depression as a result of such a loss. Then comes a time of adjustment, in which the being strives to live as normal a life as is possible in their new circumstances. At that time, a prosthetic can make all the difference. The importance of being mobile and autonomous can never fully be comprehended until such time as it is lost. 

Two cases of animals who have benefited from prosthetics are pictured here. The adorable Chris P. Bacon, above, never suffered a loss of his limbs, as he was born without rear legs. His owner, a veterinarian named Len Lucero, outfitted the pig with a set of rear wheels. Ever since, Chris has been inspiring children in hospitals who are confined to wheelchairs, showing them that it's not a condition that can keep them from leading fulfilling lives. 

In a terrible accident, Motala the elephant stepped on a landmine, necessitating an amputation in her front left leg. Motala was fitted with a prosthetic leg, which changed the fifty-year-old elephant's outlook and her life. 

Read about sixteen more cases of prosthetics improving the lives of animals in this article. 


Motala