A Georgetown duck is missing her bill. A 3D printer could change that.
Most of Polly the duck's bill is missing — likely the result of an animal attack.
GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) — You'd be forgiven if you mistook the inside of All Things Wild Rehabilitation for the set of "Doctor Dolittle".
A skunk named Daffodil roams the hallways freely, weaving in and out of the careful feet of people walking by.
There's a tortoise named Speedy who's also free to explore at his own pace. They're joined by a raccoon, rabbits, squirrels, and several opossums.
However, for the moment, it's a duck named Polly who's stealing the show.
Polly came to the center last October and quickly became among the most sociable animals there.
She's constantly following people while quacking and eating along the way. That's despite her rather glaring injury — most of her bill is missing — likely the result of an animal attack.
"She loves people, she's happy all the time, she does not want to be away from us," said Amanda Reynolds, the assistant manager at All Things Wild, a sanctuary for sick, injured, and orphaned wildlife.
Polly can still eat and drink and does plenty of quacking but struggles to groom herself without her bill.
While she may be able to get by without any help, the team at All Things Wild wants to create a better life for her.
They reached out to Georgetown's Southwestern University and asked if students could use the university's 3D printer to build Polly a new bill.
"We not having done anything of this kind before," said Southwestern University student Ryan Andrade.
Andrade works with the university's 3D printer and said he was a bit intimidated by the project at first. Not many universities have made prosthetics for animals, making guidance on how to successfully build one somewhat limited.
However, now after multiple scans and models, he's feeling more confident they'll be able to help Polly.
"We're kind of on the forefront of this, making a prosthetic for a duck," he said. "But you know, it's just furthered our spirit to try and get this done and be some of the first ones to spearhead this initiative."
Getting to this point has been a community effort. After hearing her story, local pet shop Wag Heaven started selling toy stuffed ducks to help pay for Polly's care.
So far co-owner Jeff Manley has helped raise around $500.
"It means a lot for us to help animals in need," Manley said. "We're just amazed at what they do to help natural wildlife that is hurt and injured."
Polly's bill isn't finished yet, but All Things Wild is hoping to find a dentist who will attach it for her pro bono.
Now that's she's become reliant on humans, the plan is for her to live out her days at the rehabilitation center as an animal ambassador.
"She deserves it," Reynolds said. "It's just been fun to be part of the process where we get to see her, see her have fun, and see her get this new beak."