By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
It's not only humans that can overcome a disability and make life better. Sometimes animals perform miracles beyond one's wildest imagination.
The Grand Park has selected the disabled eagle ``Bbitturi'' as animal of the month for overcoming a beak malformation and even becoming the leader of its group.
Bbitturi was found in 2004 in Sokcho, Gangwon Province, starved to near death. Its upper beak was curling to the left, making eating impossible on its own.
The zoo called for help from veterinarians and animal experts around the world, but since the beak has sensitive tissue and blood in it, the answer came back as ``impossible''. The park could cut off one-fourth of the beak as an emergency measure only. The bird has been fed by staff with tweezers ever since. Now Bbitturi seems to have accepted the zoo-keepers as its mothers.
Bbitturi was wild. He used to attack the trainers, which brought his name meaning being ``twisted'' or ``rebellious'' in Korean. When he moved in with three other fellow eagles in May, everyone thought he wouldn't last long because the society of the animal was hierarchical and based on power.
However, this national treasure No. 243-1 survived. Not only did he manage to live, but he also became leader of the group with his strong charisma, the park spokesman Kang Hyeong-wook said.
``Bbitturi shows that with strong willingness and drive, anyone or anything could do whatever: a disability could never hold one back. It gives all of us a great lesson,'' Kang said.
Bbitturi is open to visitors around 2:30 p.m. and selected visitors can try feeding it.