Many people get prosthetic titanium limbs as a result of illness or injury. Now, thanks to a University of Pretoria team led by Professor Gerhard Steenkamp, a veterinary specialist in dentistry and maxillofacial surgery at the Faculty of Veterinary Science, a macaw has been given a new lease of life with a 3D-printed beak.

Max, a blue and gold macaw from a bird sanctuary in the Western Cape, received a fully functional 3D-printed prosthetic beak after getting into two scuffles with other macaws, during which his beak was first damaged, then ripped off. The fisticuffs occurred in two separate incidents a few years ago.

Surgery was conducted recently at the Robberg Veterinary Clinic in Plettenberg Bay, with local vet Dr Brendan Tindall administering the anaesthesia, Prof Steenkamp attaching the prosthesis, and former UP professor and specialist prosthodontist Prof Cules van Heerden assisting.

Max with his damaged beak

“Max is doing well, and no complications have been seen with the beak so far,” said Prof Steenkamp, who was recently part of a team that performed the first CT scan on a live adult rhino at the Onderstepoort Veterinary Academic Hospital. The macaw’s owner, Trevor Glover, who established a bird sanctuary years ago, said that within a day of surgery, Max was eating solid pieces of food. “This is quite a change from eating only soft food for years,” he added.

Max with his new beak

The ground-breaking surgery, believed to be the first of its kind in South Africa, was performed under the leadership of Prof Steenkamp. It required collaboration with Bloemfontein’s Central University of Technology and industry partners.

The work spanned nearly two years, due to the lockdown arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. The result is that Max is now eating normally with the 3D-printed titanium beak and has returned home.