Tiger who lost his paw in the poacher’s trap to today’s prosthetic
A tiger whose front left paw was amputated after being wrapped in a steel trap set by poachers in 2012 will get a prosthetic limb on Saturday, with the doctor treating the big cat saying the operation is a world first. A tiger whose front left paw had been amputated after being wrapped in a steel trap set by poachers in 2012 will get a prosthetic limb on Saturday, with the doctor treating the big one. The project has been collaborated over the past two years by a team of orthopedic surgeon Shushrut Babhulkar, veterinary doctor Shirish Upadhyay, medical staff from Maharashtra Animal and Fisheries Science University (MAFSU), in addition to experts from IIT-Bombay and abroad. At the newly opened Gorewada Rescue Center in Nagpur, eight-year-old Sahebrao, mutilated near a waterhole in Palasagaon forest range in Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve in Chandrapur district in 2012, when it was just two years old, is held.
“When I first saw it in 2018, Sahebrao was massive but was unable to walk and would continuously growl in pain. We took X-rays, measurements, etc. as part of the procedure for fitting the prosthetic arm. Two to three months ago, we operated on a nerve that caused the tiger pain,” Shushrut Babhulkar told PTI. Shushrut Babhulkar added that the dislocation of one of its joints was treated next as was the fracture which was not healing for a long time.” The final part of the mission will take place on Saturday. We will fit a specially designed prothetic limb after consultation with an international medical expert forum. Veterinary surgeon Shirish Upadhay will be in charge of the operation,” said Shushrut Babhulkar. Shushrut Babhulkar is unable to operate on the tiger, as he is not a vet. He told that Leeds professor Peter Janadice will also participate in the operation.” This is the first time that something like this happens anywhere in the world,” said Shushrut Babhulkar.
