There comes a turtle on the roller board: In the zoo in Gelsenkirchen an animal rehabilitation measure was successful.
Gelsenkirchen – The spurred turtle “Helmuth”, which weighs more than 100 kilograms, from the Gelsenkirchen Zoo can walk again without support after months of training with a special roller board.
“We hope that he can continue to do without a roller board. We are watching it, of course, ”said the head of the“ Zoom-Erlebniswelt ”, Hendrik Berendson, on Tuesday. The custom-made product from a Bochum orthopedic technician, which the zoo presented at the beginning of June 2021, is available in case the animal should need a walking aid again. “Helmuth” suffers from shoulder arthritis.
“It wasn’t a overnight process,” explained Berendson. The turtle, who is over 20 years old, was given the roller board last year to relieve the shoulder joints. The heavyweight turtle’s joy of moving has increased, it has become more agile. The zookeepers had reduced the times with the roller board, which was attached to the turtle shell with straps. In consultation with the veterinarian, it was then decided that “Helmuth” could initially move around again without aids.
Several media had reported on the progress of “Helmuth”. dpa
