A severely injured tortoise in Germany is on a roll after being fitted with a Lego wheel in place of a missing leg to help him move around.
Schildi, the tortoise, was found with a missing leg, probably abandoned by his owners, in the German countryside.
The creature was treated by Dr Panagiotis Azmanis at the Birdconsulting International in Baden.
"He was in pretty bad shape when they brought him to us. The lower part of his front leg was missing, and the upper part was very bad, with bone showing, and maggots in necrotic flesh," Azmanis told The Local.
After the animal had been stabilised, the vet amputated the injured leg at the shoulder and treated him with antibiotics and fluids, as well as giving him pain killers.
Azmanis went through a child's toy box to find a Lego wheel and then used special veterinary surgical glue to stick a base block to the underside of Schildi.
"After that we could add blocks to achieve the correct height," he said.
"First we fitted a double wheel but it was difficult for him to turn corners so we replaced it with a single wheel and that is much better for him," Azmanis said.
Schildi is now living in an animal shelter.
"If he gets a 'flat tyre' it will be a simple matter to replace the wheel. They move around quite a lot so I'd expect to see him for a new wheel about once a year," Azmanis said.
