This Snail Waited Patiently As A Vet Fixed His Broken Shell

There are kind people, and then there are those who go above and beyond for things most people wouldn’t even think of. This next story is the perfect example.

It all began in January when a woman in Tel Aviv, Israel, accidentally stepped on a snail in her garden, breaking its shell. While most people might just walk away, letting the snail fend for itself without a home, she did quite the opposite—she took it to an animal hospital. Thankfully for this tiny creature, the folks at HaClinica animal hospital agreed that the snail’s life was worth saving.

The veterinarians got right to work repairing the shell piece by piece, posting photos on their Facebook page after the successful rebuilding. The snail sat right by his shell during the procedure, observing their handiwork. The fix? Glue, of course.

“For the broken shell, we need a combination of patience and finesse with epoxy glue,” the clinic wrote on Facebook, according to a translation by From The Grapvine. “We make sure the glue stays outside the shell and does not penetrate the inner patch.”

The snail, which the clinic named Chevy, has now moved back home and is resting comfortably on a bed of fresh vegetables. At the time of the posting, they encouraged their Facebook followers to come visit Chevy, saying his recovery could last a few weeks or months.

After the initial Facebook post, the clinic was praised for their life-saving efforts and asked for instructions should this happen to another garden snail in the future. It turns out, there are varying levels of broken shells a snail can experience. If you stumble upon a snail whose shell is just chipped, cracked or has a hole, it is likely to recover. Even if the shell is split but the body is OK, it should be able to survive. Here’s more on what to do if you rescue a snail.

Kudos to all those who helped save Chevy and proved every life is worth saving!

[h/t: The Dodo]