This Injured Monarch Butterfly Received a Wing Transplant at Long Island Wildlife Center
An injured monarch butterfly was miraculously able to fly again after undergoing a wing transplant at a nature preserve in Long Island, New York.
Footage by Sweetbriar Nature Center shows the insect undergoing the procedure, and flying away afterwards.
“When a Good Samaritan called to ask if we could help an injured monarch butterfly, we didn’t hesitate,” the post said. “Using a wing from a deceased butterfly, we carefully matched it to the broken wing and performed a delicate repair. The result? You’d never know this monarch is flying with a replacement wing.”
Monarch butterflies are the only known butterfly to migrate two ways for thousands of miles every year, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.
The monarch population has declined markedly in recent decades as its food source, milkweed, has been annihilated by herbicides. Several charities such as Live Monarch offer low-cost milkweed seeds to US residents in an attempt to save the colorful species.