These Animals Have Thrived Despite Their Disabilities

A Skateboarding Turtle

AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP/Getty Images

Sounds a little like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but this female turtle really does get around on a skateboard. Arava, a 55-pound turtle who lives at the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo in Israel, has paralyzed rear legs. Due to her weight, she is unable to get around using just her front legs.

The clever zoo staff fitted her with a custom skateboard, and Arava now walks around just like any other turtle. She’s even gained a handsome suitor since getting her new wheels! Zoo officials say that there’s a 10-year-old male turtle who seems to be crushing on Arava these days, when he barely noticed her before.