Montgomery Zoo
This is Jenna. Here's the story about her new leg brace.
PRESS RELEASE: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: June 3, 2022
Contact: Gabrielle Jansen | (334) 314-6690
Email: gjansen@montgomeryal.gov
Montgomery Zoo giraffe Jenna debuts new brace, collaboration made with Alabama State University
MONTGOMERY ZOO (Montgomery, AL): The Montgomery Zoo is excited to announce that Jenna the giraffe has a new shoe!
Many of our visitors are familiar with Jenna’s story. Jenna is a 17-year-old reticulated giraffe born here at the Montgomery Zoo. She experienced a traumatic injury 12 years ago that left her with a permanent musculoskeletal abnormality in her left rear leg. Her care team at the time of the injury managed her very well throughout the ordeal. They even developed a brace for her to wear, adding support to her leg. Over the years, the brace did require upkeep- not surprising for a piece of equipment worn daily by a 1,200-pound animal! No design changes were made to the brace during this ten year timespan, however. So when the brace was next in need of repair, we began to wonder if it was time to make adjustments to the design. After all, a lot of scientific advancements are made in a decade! Perhaps there were new ideas or materials out there that would improve upon Jenna’s original brace?
The question was posed, “What adjustments could be made to improve upon the original design ten years later?” After all, a lot of scientific knowledge can be gained in ten years! It is imperative that as time goes on, we update our current medical and husbandry practices to meet the present day’s science.
And so began the partnership between the Montgomery Zoo and Alabama State University’s College of Health Sciences Department of Prosthetics and Orthotics in the summer of 2020. That’s right, it has taken two years to design, build, and apply this new brace to Jenna’s leg. The process took longer than expected because Zoo care staff wished to train Jenna to voluntarily participate in her medical care. With time and a lot of patience, Jenna now voluntarily goes into a chute and allows her care staff to take off and put on the brace as needed. Jenna trusts her care staff, and her training will ensure ongoing participation in the process.
ASU Department of Prosthetics and Orthotics students were at the forefront of the new design and development, with Zoo veterinary and care staff providing insight and suggestions for the new brace. The first step of the process required acquiring a model of Jenna’s leg. The ASU team had a brilliant idea- to use a 3D scanner to generate a digital model of her leg that could then be made into a physical replica for brace fitting/sizing. The 3D scanner was the way to go because we did not have to create a traditional mold by wrapping Jenna’s leg. The following steps of the process included brace design, brace fabrication, and many fittings and adjustments on Jenna’s leg.
A sincere thank you to all Zoo staff involved in this journey, and a special thank you to Alabama State University’s College of Health Sciences Department of Prosthetics and Orthotics team for all they’ve done to help our beloved Jenna. This process has been long and has required a lot of patience from both teams, and even the patient. The result was worth it. Jenna is loving her new brace.
She is noticeably quicker and more stable when wearing her brace. She allows her care staff to remove it and put it back on whenever necessary while she’s in our giraffe chute. She sleeps with it on, too.
Montgomery Zoo
This is Jenna. Here's the story about her new leg brace.
PRESS RELEASE: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: June 3, 2022
Contact: Gabrielle Jansen | (334) 314-6690
Email: gjansen@montgomeryal.gov
Montgomery Zoo giraffe Jenna debuts new brace, collaboration made with Alabama State University
MONTGOMERY ZOO (Montgomery, AL): The Montgomery Zoo is excited to announce that Jenna the giraffe has a new shoe!
Many of our visitors are familiar with Jenna’s story. Jenna is a 17-year-old reticulated giraffe born here at the Montgomery Zoo. She experienced a traumatic injury 12 years ago that left her with a permanent musculoskeletal abnormality in her left rear leg. Her care team at the time of the injury managed her very well throughout the ordeal. They even developed a brace for her to wear, adding support to her leg. Over the years, the brace did require upkeep- not surprising for a piece of equipment worn daily by a 1,200-pound animal! No design changes were made to the brace during this ten year timespan, however. So when the brace was next in need of repair, we began to wonder if it was time to make adjustments to the design. After all, a lot of scientific advancements are made in a decade! Perhaps there were new ideas or materials out there that would improve upon Jenna’s original brace?
The question was posed, “What adjustments could be made to improve upon the original design ten years later?” After all, a lot of scientific knowledge can be gained in ten years! It is imperative that as time goes on, we update our current medical and husbandry practices to meet the present day’s science.
And so began the partnership between the Montgomery Zoo and Alabama State University’s College of Health Sciences Department of Prosthetics and Orthotics in the summer of 2020. That’s right, it has taken two years to design, build, and apply this new brace to Jenna’s leg. The process took longer than expected because Zoo care staff wished to train Jenna to voluntarily participate in her medical care. With time and a lot of patience, Jenna now voluntarily goes into a chute and allows her care staff to take off and put on the brace as needed. Jenna trusts her care staff, and her training will ensure ongoing participation in the process.
ASU Department of Prosthetics and Orthotics students were at the forefront of the new design and development, with Zoo veterinary and care staff providing insight and suggestions for the new brace. The first step of the process required acquiring a model of Jenna’s leg. The ASU team had a brilliant idea- to use a 3D scanner to generate a digital model of her leg that could then be made into a physical replica for brace fitting/sizing. The 3D scanner was the way to go because we did not have to create a traditional mold by wrapping Jenna’s leg. The following steps of the process included brace design, brace fabrication, and many fittings and adjustments on Jenna’s leg.
A sincere thank you to all Zoo staff involved in this journey, and a special thank you to Alabama State University’s College of Health Sciences Department of Prosthetics and Orthotics team for all they’ve done to help our beloved Jenna. This process has been long and has required a lot of patience from both teams, and even the patient. The result was worth it. Jenna is loving her new brace.
She is noticeably quicker and more stable when wearing her brace. She allows her care staff to remove it and put it back on whenever necessary while she’s in our giraffe chute. She sleeps with it on, too.