This is Cleopatra—a leopard tortoise that suffers from a type of shell deformation known as “pyramiding” or “peaking.”
This form of a misshapen shell (which has many raised
sections like little pyramids) leaves Cleopatra with many problems which
includes a harder (perhaps impossible) way of getting right side up if
she accidentally winds up on her back. Additionally, the shape makes it
difficult to interact with other tortoises who need to climb on top for
playing and mating.
Luckily, a man named Roger Henry stepped up and decided to make Cleopatra a 3D-printed outer shell.
Henry is a Colorado Technical University student and U.S. Air Force veteran.
He spent about 600 hundred hours perfecting the necessary software for the design and printing out prototypes.
Henry toldthat the main challenge in the design was creating a protective shell that “drape[d] like a piece of cloth” over her ridged back.
It was important to make it a perfect fit because her own shell was also so worn that it had holes, which left her exposed to bacterial buildup and infections.
Now, Cleopatra is safe with her snazzy new shell.
Just look at how happy she is!
