Karl’s New Beak: 3-D Printing Builds a Bird a Better Life

An Abyssinian Ground Hornbill named Karl at Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute had a special challenge. His lower bill had broken off which made eating difficult. Karl found new ways to eat but he wasn’t getting enough food. His keepers and some friends at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History came up with an idea. Could they use an old bird skeleton and a 3-D printer to make Karl a new beak