Bald eagle named Beauty with her 3D printed prosthetic beak

This image from Birds of Prey Northwest, in Idaho, is a before and after photo of Beauty the Bald eagle, who was shot in the beak and received a pioneering, 3D printed prosthetic beak. Beauty the bald eagle was first recovered in Alaska, where she was found badly injured, unable to eat, and fighting for her life. Her top beak had been shot off by a poacher, and she’d been left to die. Raptor biologist Janie Veltkamp brought Beauty from Alaska to her raptor center, Birds of Prey Northwest in Idaho, in cooperation with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. To give Beauty a chance at life, Janie led the team that invented a 3D-printed prosthetic beak for Beauty. Janie, along with mechanical engineer Nate Calvin, veterinarians and dentists, spent hundreds of volunteer hours designing, making and testing a bionic beak that allowed Beauty to preen her feathers and eat and drink on her own. “Beauty’s story captures both the cruelty and compassion of humankind,” says Janie, who receives countless inquiries about Beauty from around the world, including from students, teachers, families, wildlife rehabilitators, scientists, engineers, and 3D printer users. 2018 AAAS/Subaru Children’s Science Book Prize Winner. 2016-2017 CALIFORNIA READS Recommended List by the California Teachers Association. Read The Seattle Times story "Coeur d’Alene Tribe to open eagle aviary," a Northwest first: http://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/coeur-dalene-tribe-to-open-eagle-aviary-a-northwest-first/. Education guide available.