WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas — All Things Wild is a wildlife rehabilitation center in Williamson County that helped more than 4,000 animals last year.
But one of those animals made an impression on everyone. Polly the duck arrived about six months ago – but sadly, Polly's problem couldn't be fixed.
At least that's what they thought.
"She kind of implanted herself in everybody's lives here," Jessica Green said. "She doesn't even like people talking over her ... She'll just start quacking away all day."
Polly arrived with a badly damaged bill. All Things Wild thinks another animal attacked her – but it hasn't slowed Polly down. She can do most of the things a young Pekin duck can do.
But there is one important task that a duck uses their bill for that Polly can't do.
"She's adapted beautifully. She really can eat anything," Green said. "They preen themselves ... and she can't do that. She can't get all those excess feathers off."
So the fine folks at All Things Wild had an idea. What if someone could 3D-print a new bill for Polly?
Dr. Laura Hobgood at Southwestern University stepped in to help.
A lot of research went into making the bill just right, to make it a natural fit both inside and out. Polly sat for a computer scan to make prototypes. They scanned Polly and ducks of her likeness to make a workable 3D model.
"Our goal is to eventually split this into a two-pronged, fully mobile replacement beak and then attach it at her connection point ... So that it completes the bill, and she goes back to 100% functionality," junior Ryan Andrade said.
They're still a few weeks away from a finished product but have made great strides toward their goal of a new bill for Polly.
"We're hoping that with our help, we can get her back in the water and living a happy life," Andrade said.
Her bill will be just like her – one of a kind.