Mandatory Credit: Photo by Action Press/REX (4272794b)
Vet Dr. Carsten Plischke fitting Blade the tortoise with his Lego ‘wheelchair’
Lame tortoise fitted with Lego wheels, Bielefeld, Germany – 26 Nov 2014
Blade the tortoise is now rolling on four wheels after being fitted with a special Lego ‘wheelchair’. The tiny tortoise lost the use of his legs due to a litany of woes, including worms and a growth disorder that caused his legs to weaken to the point he was unable to bear his own weight. Owner Iris Peste took Blade to the vets after noticing that he was acting out of character and struggling to move around. And Dr Carsten Plischke came to the rescue with an unusual idea – a Lego ‘wheelchair!’ Borrowing from his son’s collection, he fitted two sets of wheels to the underside of Blade’s shell so that he is now able to scoot around using his legs. Thankfully, the solution is not a permanent one as in time Blade should regain full use of his legs. Speaking about the Blade’s quirky ‘therapy’, Dr Plischke comments: “For people there are walkers, rollators or prostheses but for animals there are no companies that produce something like that”.
Brinens and Things 