These Zoo Flamingos Are Healing With Custom Ankle Braces

For two Chilean flamingos at the Nashville Zoo, help and healing came thanks to a novel approach by their caretakers.

After both flamingos sustained tendon injuries, the Zoo’s veterinary team thought creatively to help the birds recover and return to their normal, pain-free lives.

What Happened to the Flamingos?

Aji and Shorty are two of the Nashville Zoo’s resident flock of 11 Chilean flamingos. The flock is a familiar sight around the Zoo, often seen strolling out and interacting with visitors. Ambassador Animal Care Team members noticed leg issues in both flamingos at the start of the breeding season.

According to media reports, the Zoo team isn’t sure exactly how the injuries happened, but they suspect it was caused by natural breeding behaviors. What they do know is that both flamingos suffered similar injuries. They each damaged their inner tarsal joints.

The inner tarsal joint is a key part of the flamingo’s ankle joint. For the casual observer, this can be confusing, since the bird’s ankle joint is often mistaken for its knee joint.

It’s a common mistake to make, since the joint seen midway down the bird’s leg is placed where a knee joint would usually be. In reality, the flamingo’s knee joint is actually close to its body and tucked away under its feathers. The joint you see midway down the leg is the flamingo’s ankle. That puts the “backwards bending” action into perspective, since ankle joints tend to bend the same way.

The ligaments are what provide stability and keep the bird’s ankle joints from swinging side to side as the flamingo walks. When the ankle ligaments are damaged, that stability is missing, which causes pain as the bird stands and walks.

The Treatment the Zoo Provided

The Zoo’s medical care team tried several alternative treatments to help the flamingos recover from their ligament injuries, including hydrotherapy, physical therapy, and anti-inflammatory medications. However, these methods met with limited success. After several months of treatment, the team considered a different approach.

Inspired by typical treatments for knee ligament injuries in humans, they thought a brace could help stabilize the flamingo’s joint and speed up healing. The brace would reduce side-to-side motion and allow the birds to walk more comfortably.

Of course, flamingo knee braces aren’t something veterinarians can simply buy online. The team reached out to Pet Mechanics Veterinary Prosthetics to see if the company could design a specialized brace. Pet Mechanics had previously designed braces for domestic animals, and the Zoo team was hopeful those ideas could be applied to a brace for the long-legged birds.

The company agreed and visited the Zoo to measure and cast the flamingos’ legs, then designed orthotic braces specifically for them. Each brace was custom-fitted to the individual flamingo’s anatomy.

How the Braces Work

The custom braces help stabilize the flamingo’s joint and prevent any movement other than the normal backward and forward motion. The brace eliminates the possibility of side-to-side motion. This is essential because, according to the Zoo’s Instagram post, an untreated ligament tear can result in grinding of the cartilage and bones of the joint.

Aji and Shorty each received a brace on January 12, 2026. Aji’s brace is soft pink, and Shorty got a more colorful blue, purple, and black version.

For the Zoo, it is the first time they’ve tried orthotic braces on their Chilean flamingos. Other facilities, including the John Ball Zoo in Michigan and the Oklahoma City Zoo, have successfully used braces on their injured resident flamingos.

For members of the public who happened to be nearby, it was a unique learning experience. When the team fitted the braces on January 12th, the procedure took place in an exam room with floor-to-ceiling windows, allowing Zoo visitors to observe the treatments performed on the animals.

During those procedures, including the brace fitting for Aji and Shorty, a Zoo team member is stationed outside the glass wall to explain what’s happening to visitors as they watch.

What’s Ahead for Aji and Shorty?

The Zoo medical team expects the flamingos to wear the braces for several months. During their recuperation time, Aji and Shorty will stay behind the scenes to give them time to relax and heal.

Until Aji and Shorty return to making public appearances, you can see the rest of the flock up close during the daily flamingo parade that happens between 11:30 am and noon each day, weather permitting.