Bracing for her future: Human medicine rescues giraffe

By JULIE WATSON
Associated Press

ESCONDIDO, Calif. (AP) — In the 30 years that Ara Mirzaian has worked with orthotics, he has never had a patient like this: A baby giraffe. The calf was born at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park with an unusual disorder that caused her front limb to bend the wrong way. But as of this week, she can run along like the other giraffes after safari park staff reached out to experts in orthotics at the Hanger Clinic, where Mirzaian works. He was part of a team that helped design braces for the giraffe that corrected the problem. The case is the latest example of zoos turning to medical experts who treat humans to aid ailing animals.