Dudley the duckling takes his first steps on a 3D printed leg

However, thanks to 3D printing technology, the Canadian animal has a new lease of life - and a new leg.Terence Loring, a 32 year old mechanical engineer and architect, decided to help Dudley after hearing about him from his martial arts instructor.'I was training in jujitsu, and my coach's parents own the shelter, so he mentioned Dudley to me - and he came up with the idea,' Loring told MailOnline.'He was just a duckling when I met him in September last year, and I'd never tried anything like this before, - but hoped we could help.'Loring decided to build a 3D printed leg for Dudley, working with local firm Proto3000, who are printing Dudley's legs for free.Born on August 19, 2013, Dudley was initially placed in an enclosure with some chickens at K9-1-1 Animal and Rescue Services in Sicamous. One day the aggressive chickens attacked Dudley and his brother. His brother died and Dudley's leg was badly damaged, said Doug Nelson, co-owner of the shelter.Dudley lost his foot and part of his leg. He could still swim, but had a lot of trouble getting around on land.'He was just a duckling when I met him in September,' said Loring.'We got him up on his leg, and for the past 3.5 weeks he's been walking around on it.'He's doing very well.'The foot was mirrored off Dudley's good foot to ensure similar sizing. The first design was at a wrong angle and more complex than needed. So Loring designed a second leg, a much simpler version. The main structure including upper-leg, lower-leg, connecting pin for joints are made of a stronger ABS. The foot is made out of a very soft and flexible rubber-mimic plastic to allow easier placement / liftoff of the foot.Loring said the change in Dudley's personality is clear.'The funniest thing is his personality.'He has a little friend, a pot bellied pig called Elsie that pushes him around.'When he got his leg, the first thing he did was go push the pig around.'You can really see the excitement that he can now move around.Dozens of legs were tested, and Loring said more are still being printed as the design is improved, and as Dudley grows.'We're printing a new leg at the moment, and we think he'll like it.'He is five months old now, and what's great is that its so easy to print new legs as he grows.'Loring also hopes to help other injured animals.'I would love to help other animals, if there are more patients out there,' he said.'We put all the 3d files on out website so anyone can download the file.'(dailymail.co.uk)ANN.Az