Turtle gets artificial flippers in Japan
After flippers lost in shark attack, Yu a 25-year-old sea turtle gets new artificial flippers & many people come to see her at aquarium in Japan.
After flippers lost in shark attack, Yu a 25-year-old sea turtle gets new artificial flippers & many people come to see her at aquarium in Japan.
The sea turtle named Yu with her artificial flippers at her home, an aquarium in Kobe, Japan (Photo: AFP)
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ANIMALS
Artificial legs boost limbless loggerhead turtle
(AFP)
KOBE, Japan — A sea turtle that lost her front legs to a shark attack was bidding to match "Blade Runner" Oscar Pistorius on Tuesday, as she donned the latest in artificial flipper technology in Japan.
Yu, an approximately 25-year-old female loggerhead turtle, was test-driving her 27th pair of artificial front legs around her home aquarium near Kobe in western Japan, where she proves a draw for the crowds.
The rubber limbs are attached to a vest slipped over her head, said the aquarium's curator, Naoki Kamezaki.
"We have worked hard to design the vest in a way that prevents the turtle from taking it off unwittingly," he told AFP. "It can flutter the limbs as the vest is soft.
The creature, which weighs 96 kilogrammes (212 pounds) and has a shell 82 centimetres (32 inches) long, was pulled out of a fisherman's net and sent to the Suma Aqualife Park in mid-2008
One third of the right limb and half of the left limb were gone, in what Kamezaki believes must have been a shark attack.
The aquarium started developing artificial limbs for the animal in late 2008 as it could swim only at about 60 percent of its normal speed.
Earlier versions were squeezed into the stumps but were apparently painful to Yu.
"Similar attempts have been made to attach artificial limbs to turtles around the world. But we have not heard if they went well," said Kamezaki, an expert on sea turtles, whose surname coincidentally means "turtle cape" in Japanese
Ours may be the only case in which a turtle with artificial limbs is still swimming without a problem.
In 2004, a dolphin at an aquarium in Okinawa, southern Japan, became the first in the world to be fitted with a rubber tail fin. It lost its own tail due to illness.
South African sprint king Pistorius, whose legs were amputated below his knees, won plaudits for his performance at last year's London Olympics where he competed alongside able-bodied athletes.
Copyright © 2013 AFP. All rights reserved.
(Source: Bangkok Post, ANIMALS, Artificial legs boost limbless loggerhead turtle (AFP), link)
Artificial Limb Vocabulary
turtle - เต่า (See Wikipedia)
sea turtle - (See Wikipedia)
loggerhead sea turtle - (See Wikipedia & National Geographic & turtles.org)
shell - the hard outside covering an animal or insect เปลือก
turtle shell
female - of a woman สำหรับผู้หญิง
Yu, an approximately 25-year-old female loggerhead turtle
shark - ฉลาม
attack - การโจมตี
shark attack
a sea turtle that lost her front legs to a shark attack
amputate - when a doctor or vet cuts an arm, leg or fin off (for health reasons) ตัดออก
stump - the part of a tree, arm, leg or fin that remains after it is cut off ส่วนที่เหลืออยู่, โคนที่เหลือ, ตอ, ตอไม้
artificial - made by humans, not natural จำลอง ที่มนุษย์สร้างขึ้น; ที่ประดิษฐ์ขึ้น
artificial legs
flipper - a wide flat body part used for swimming by animals that live in the water such as turtles, seals, dolphins or penguins ฟลิปเปอร์, รยางค์ชนิดหนึ่งมีลักษณะคล้ายใบพาย ใช้สำหรับว่ายน้ำของสัตว์น้ำบางชนิด เช่น แมวน้ำ สิงโตทะเล เป็นต้น
artificial flipper
limb - an arm or leg ท่อนแขนท่อนขา
artificial limbs
rubber limbs
developing - designing (doing the work needed to create some new product or technology), developing new technology
developing artificial limbs
attach - make two things join or connect together ติดกัน, ทำให้ติดกัน
attach artificial limbs to turtles
limbless - without limbs (not having legs, arms or fins)
limbless loggerhead turtle
boost - to increase; to strengthen เพิ่ม; ทำให้มีกำลังมากขึ้น
artificial legs boost limbless loggerhead turtle
Oscar Pistorius - the first double leg amputee to participate in the Olympics (the 2012 Summer Olympics in London ) when he entered the men's 400 metres race and was part of South Africa's 4 × 400 metres relay team (See Wikipedia)
bidding - making an offer in an auction (here trying to offer to do project for lowest cost and thus win contract)
match - to look the same as or very similar to something else ซึ่งไม่คู่ควร
bidding to match "Blade Runner" Oscar Pistorius
don - to put on clothes (or something else you wear on your body)
she donned the latest in artificial flipper technology in Japan
test-drive - when a new design of car is tested to see if it works or if there are problems (br driving it under difficult conditions)
test-driving her 27th pair of artificial front legs around her home aquarium near Kobe in western Japan
a draw - something that makes a lot of people come to some event (such as a famous person or thing)
a draw for the crowds
prove - something that did the job that people wanted it to do (tried it and it worked, proved useful)
proves a draw for the crowds
the turtle proves a draw for the crowds.
slip - ลื่นไถล, ไถล, ทำให้ไถลไป, ทำให้ลื่นไถล
slip over the head
vest - a covering for the top part of your body
a vest slipped over her head
The rubber limbs are attached to a vest slipped over her head
aquarium - a place where people can view many different kinds of fish, a fish museum พิพิธภัณฑ์สัตว์น้ำ (See Wikipedia)
curator - a person in charge of a museum, library, etc. ภัณฑารักษ์
the aquarium's curator
unwittingly - doing it and not knowing you are doing it โดยไม่รู้ว่าทำอะไรอยู่
We have worked hard to design the vest in a way that prevents the turtle from taking it off unwittingly
flutter - กระพือปีก, ตีปีก, ขยับปีก
soft - not strict enough; weak ไร้น้ำหนัก อ่อนด้วยเหตุผล
The turtle can flutter the limbs as the vest is soft.
a fisherman's net
pulled out of a fisherman's net
creature - an animal
The creature, which weighs 96 kilogrammes (212 pounds) and has a shell 82 centimetres (32 inches) long, was pulled out of a fisherman's net and sent to the Suma Aqualife Park in mid-2008
One third of the right limb and half of the left limb were gone, in what Kamezaki believes must have been a shark attack.
apparently - based only on what you have heard or think, not on what you are certain is true; seemingly ตามที่ได้รู้มา
apparently painful
version - ฉบับ
earlier versions
squeeze - บีบ
squeeze into
squeeze X into Y
squeezed into the stumps
Earlier versions were squeezed into the stumps but were apparently painful to Yu.
attempt - to try to do something พยายาม
attempts to attach artificial limbs to turtles
cape - a loose piece of clothing that hangs over a person's shoulders and body
turtle cape
surname - a person's last name or family name
coincidentally - happening by chance (people did not plan it to happen)
his surname coincidentally means "turtle cape"
"Similar attempts have been made to attach artificial limbs to turtles around the world. But we have not heard if they went well," said Kamezaki, an expert on sea turtles, whose surname coincidentally means "turtle cape" in Japanese
Ours may be the only case in which a turtle with artificial limbs is still swimming without a problem.
In 2004, a dolphin at an aquarium in Okinawa, southern Japan, became the first in the world to be fitted with a rubber tail fin. It lost its own tail due to illness.
amputate
amputated below the knees
legs were amputated below his knees
performance - how well or badly something works or does some task or activity
performance at the Olympics
won plaudits - many people praised them and thought highly of them
won plaudits for his performance at last year's London Olympics
able-bodied - sports people without any body problems
able-bodied athletes
competed alongside able-bodied athletes
South African sprint king Pistorius, whose legs were amputated below his knees, won plaudits for his performance at last year's London Olympics where he competed alongside able-bodied athletes.