PREVIEW

The gorilla who was treated with the world’s first world’s first 3D-printed titanium cast is healing well, veterinarians at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden have confirmed. Gladys, an 11-year-old gorilla, broke her arm a month and a half ago in a scuffle with her siblings. She was fitted with the cast, custom designed by Colibrium Additive – a GE Aerospace company. “She has tolerated this cast much better than the temporary one that was placed on her arm during surgery to repair her broken bone,” said Cincinnati Zoo’s primate team leader, Ashley Ashcraft. “Despite it weighing about 8 pounds, she’s been able to get around better than we expected!” Ashcraft and the rest of the gorilla team have been attending to her 24/7 and offering her TLC while she is separated from her troop. She is still not sharing space with other gorillas but can see and hear them. She will remain in her cast and away from her troop for a few weeks more, but with a gorilla personal trainer helping her too, she’ll hopefully be back to full fitness soon!