Cute little injured turtle now has wheels: "They see me rollin, they hatin"

(photos: REUTERS/Nir Elias)

A veterinarian places Tzvika, an injured female turtle, on a carpet at the Wildlife Hospital in the Ramat Gan Safari near Tel Aviv January 5, 2011. Now she's a cyborg turtle.

About two months ago Tzvika was run over by a lawn mower, suffering severe damage to her shell and a spinal injury that affected her ability to use her rear limbs. The wheels, attached by veterinarians at the Safari, elevate the turtle to keep the shell from being worn down and enable her to walk.

More photographs below, the first of which shows you how the wheels were attached to her body. Mark blogged about an earlier turtle-mod project like this back in 2008. I like turtles.

Boing Boing editor/partner and tech culture journalist Xeni Jardin hosts and produces Boing Boing's in-flight TV channel on Virgin America airlines (#10 on the dial), and writes about living with breast cancer. Diagnosed in 2011. @xeni on Twitter. email: xeni@boingboing.net.

MORE: Delightful Creatures • Innovation

More at Boing Boing

Eurovision 2013: An American in London

The technology that links taxonomy and Star Trek

Anonymous

Awww … how cute.

Also, it’s a Tortoise.
- fyreflye
  
  Yes, it’s a tortoise, not a turtle; no webbed feet as far as I can see. And it looks like our own Southwestern desert tortoise. What good would wheels do a creature who spends most of its time in the water?
  - BB
    
    Good point. They need some kind of mechanical flippers.
carlosbenjaminwalker

cyborb + turtle =

cybortle?
turtborg?
jimh

Obligatory ADref: I just love their leathery, snappy little faces!
_Username

The last photo gives me an awesome idea for a new mouseâ€¦so where does one go about finding an injured turtle and giving it a purpose in life
andyhavens

Must… resist… puns… so many…
nanuq

What, no welcome for our cyborg turtle overlords? Resistance is futile.
BB

Poor baby can never be in the wild again. I hope they compensate by giving her the most mind-blowing tortoise treats in the universe.
Dave

And remember: no jokes about “Hot Wheels” cars, doing “wheelies,” and don’t even mention drag racing…
Anonymous

Pimp My Turtle?
ksol1460_newsdesk

About improving the wheels (and I agree, they need it) —

Here’s the safari’s contact information.

Bluejay
Ugly Canuck

At least this little turtle seems happier than the little wheeled frog pictured here:

http://delawarepunchline.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/froglegsLARGE.jpg
ShaneAH

Lollified for your amusement. Had to be done!
http://cheezburger.com/View/4329565184
Anonymous

I for one welcome our bionic turtle overlords.
theyallhateme

Am I the only one that saw this and immediately thought of pinewood derby mods?
Spekkio

All seriousness – Tzvika needs better wheels. Those wheels look cheap and probably won’t move very well on rough or uneven surfaces.
Anonymous

Great I have 2 Tortoises and know how fast they can move on legs so with wheels it mut be speeding!
Quiche de Resistance

Alignment needs to be tweaked a little on that left wheel.
doingdoing

I’m guessing no soap on him either.
- doingdoing
  
  HER…
- Xeni Jardin
  
  But notice how soft and clear her skin is!
  - doingdoing
    
    Try to catch me ridin’ dirty…
- Quiche de Resistance
  
  nice!
Boondocker

Sooooo cute!

I’m already thinking of several different designs, though… one central ball (like a trackball) that could let the turtle more effectively turn, or rubber tires that wouldn’t drag on carpet, etc.

I guess when you’re facing permanent road rash in your nether regions, you’ll take any wheels at all, though.
- Bookburn
  
  I think Dyson already has a patent on that.
laineybirdy

Boondocker – great ideas! you must be an engineer – love that trackball idea.
Bevin

Watch out, hare!
Tavie

Adorable! Reminds me of this 2008 post.
- Xeni Jardin
  
  Thanks, updating the post!
beemoh

And, if you drag her backwards a short way on a smooth surface, she zips forward at high speed for ages!
MrWednesday

Tortoise R havin wheels.
vonf

YNet article in Hebrew, with videos:
http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4009081,00.html
_Username

Why didnt they give her spinners so I could really hate her
- RedMonkey
  
  and those fluorescent under lights….
Shart Tsung

Monday a Kanye related post and today she is quoting Chamillionaire, very cool Xeni. I didn’t know you were a fan of hip-hop!

Poor little critter, hopefully it can still have a good life..on wheels.
scifijazznik

Someone get Rollin’ Tizzerrapin some sizzurp.
Epiphany

That’s a Tortoise NOT a Turtle lol. Turtles & Terrapins live in the water, That’s a land animal, which will make it a TORTOISE!!
All the same, at least it was saved, but I won’t b taking my Tortoises or Turtles to that vet if he/she can’t tell the difference between a Tortoise & a Turtle
Kimmo

Shouldn’t the axle be a couple of inches shorter…?

She’ll snag the wheels on stuff.