PULLMAN, Wash. — The artificial limb put on an African tortoise at Washington State University didn’t come from a high-tech prosthetics lab. It came from Ace Hardware in Pullman.
The caster-style wheel cost about $7, according to the two veterinarians who installed it on the tortoise after amputating the reptile’s damaged left front leg.
“We got several sizes to find the right height,” said Dr. Nickol Finch of the WSU veterinary teaching hospital. The epoxy that attached the wheel to the tortoise’s shell was also from Ace, she said.
The 23-pound tortoise, named Gamera, was shown to the public Thursday. The male reptile has become a celebrity since photos of its artificial limb were released Wednesday.
Gamera ate grass and lumbered around the hospital’s front entrance. The tortoise was able to move across pavement, lawn and even bark.
“He’s an ATT, an all-terrain tortoise,” said Charlie Powell, spokesman for the veterinary hospital.
The tortoise was brought to the hospital in April by its owner. Its left front leg had been severely damaged, likely from a burn, and had to be amputated, Finch said.
