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Long Island Rescuers Restore Monarch’s Flight With Donor-Wing Transplant

Staff say outer wing tissue lacks nerve receptors, so the quick repair likely caused no pain.

Overview

  • The injured monarch was brought to Sweetbriar Nature Center in Smithtown, Long Island, by Good Samaritan Dagmar Hoffdavis.
  • Director Janine Bendicksen trimmed the damaged wing and attached a donor wing from a deceased monarch in about five minutes.
  • The procedure used contact cement, corn starch and a small wire to stabilize and align the replacement wing.
  • The butterfly flew away after release, as shown in a video posted by the center.
  • The video drew worldwide attention, with inquiries from Minnesota, California and Costa Rica, as coverage highlighted monarchs’ long migrations across North America.