JUST IN case you were wondering, Concorde, the female blue crane who received a prosthetic leg four years ago, is doing fine.

The Witness recently paid her a vi­sit and received an assurance from her owner, Rein Franz Merrivale, that she is comfortable with her prosthetic leg and has adapted well to it.

Four years ago, the 12-year-old Concorde was caught in the fence of her owner’s property.

She broke her leg and the local vet was forced to amputate. The owner first made her a leg out of a soft drink bottle, which raised the ire of KZN Ezemvelo Wildlife.

She said, “When they came after me … she had already been fitted with the prosthetic leg which allowed her to walk very well.”

Merrivale said it was a big relief that she had decided not to kill the bird.

“A lot of people said, ‘Oh! It’s lost a leg, kill it.’ And I was not quick to do it. And four years later, she is still around.”

She said the only time the crane struggles is when her leg comes off. “On the rare occasion that her leg comes off, she becomes frantic.”

Merrivale said she has received a lot of support over the years from the locals to help maintain Concorde’s leg.