A monarch butterfly with a shattered wing has been given a second chance to fly after a daring transplant procedure at the Sweetbriar Nature Center in Smithtown, Long Island.
The delicate surgery, led by wildlife rehabilitator Janine Bendicksen, used the wing of a deceased butterfly to repair the injured insect, a first-of-its-kind rescue that has now captured global attention.
The butterfly was found by Dagmar Hoffdavis of Deer Park, who discovered the injured insect unable to fly. She believed saving it held deeper meaning.
“Butterfly, they say, is good luck from the other side, and so it’s a spiritual thing for me,” Hoffdavis told CBS.
Unwilling to give up, she brought it to the Sweetbriar Nature Center, a nonprofit dedicated to rehabilitating local wildlife. Bendicksen, the center’s director of wildlife rehabilitation, decided to attempt something few would consider, a wing transplant.
“I scoured the floor for a dead butterfly and I found a monarch. The wing was in perfect shape,” Bendicksen said. With that, she began the five-minute operation using contact cement, corn starch, and a small wire to hold the butterfly steady.
“It was so intricate, because this butterfly could fall apart if I pressed too hard,” she said. “They have no nerve receptors, no blood flow going into the end portion of the wing.”
The butterfly takes flight again
Video footage posted by the center shows Bendicksen trimming the broken edges of the damaged wing, then aligning and gluing the donor wing in place. Moments later, the monarch began to flap its wings and crawl onto Bendicksen’s hand.
She carried it outside, and it flew off effortlessly.
“When a Good Samaritan called to ask if we could help an injured monarch butterfly, we didn’t hesitate,” the center wrote in a post. “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,” the post continued. “Watching it take off brought tears to my eyes, this tiny traveler now has a second chance at life, and at completing its incredible journey.”
Global response and growing hope
The video of the transplant went viral, drawing millions of views and messages of support. Bendicksen said she’s now hearing from people across the world who want to learn the method.
“I’m getting calls from Minnesota, Costa Rica, California,” she told CBS. “This butterfly would have died if we didn’t try. We need hope in this world today.”
Experts at Sweetbriar said the effort was not just about saving one insect but also about raising awareness. Monarchs, known for their distinctive orange and black wings, face near-endangered status due to habitat loss and climate change.
“Every animal has its place in the world, especially this one, that has such a big journey ahead of it,” said Veronica Sayers, the vivarium’s director.
With a borrowed wing and a little faith, the once-grounded butterfly is now migrating toward Mexico, a tiny traveler that refused to give up its flight.