Can 3D-printed tiger teeth help save our rarest animals from extinction?

Wed, 13 Sep 2023 12:10:42 +1000

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jul/31/can-3d-printed-tiger-teeth-help-save-rare-indian-animals-from-extinction-aoe>

"In the lowland rainforests of Arunachal Pradesh in north-east India, tigers,
clouded leopards, eagles and hornbills dot the landscape. The area is also home
to the Nyishi community, the largest Indigenous tribe in the state, where the
men traditionally don a byopa, an elaborate handwoven cane cap with the upper
beak and casque of a great hornbill attached to the top edge, and an eagle’s
claw at the back. They also wield a machete fitted either with the short, squat
jaw of the clouded leopard or the much larger one of a tiger.

“The tiger rules the jungle. The eagle rules the sky. Wearing their parts
implies inhabiting their mighty spirit, protecting the people. It’s a status
symbol,” says Nabam Bapu, an entrepreneur from the Nyishi tribe based in the
state’s Papum Pare district.

But hunting rare animals and wearing their body parts when wildlife numbers are
declining in the state has always troubled Bapu. In January 2020, he teamed up
with his friend Anang Tadar, a tech innovator, to provide an alternative to the
traditional headgear by replicating the animal parts using a 3D printer."

Via The Fixer August 2, 2023:
<https://reasonstobecheerful.world/protecting-indias-imperiled-wildlife-3d-printed-teeth/>

Cheers,
       *** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net               Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/                 Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/            Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/               Manager, Serious Cybernetics

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