Tossing a coin in a fountain or a pond for luck is a popular superstition across the globe, but a similar belief caused trouble to a sea turtle in Thailand from whom doctors have removed 915 coins.
Bangkok veterinarians and marine animal experts operated on Monday on the 25-year-old female green sea turtle named Osmin (or "Piggy Bank" in Thai).
In Thailand, it is believed that throwing coins on turtles will bring longevity and "Piggy Bank" was no exception. Many tourists and locals seeking good fortune have tossed coins into her pool over many years in the eastern town of Sri Racha.
A green sea turtle has an average lifespan of 80 years, according to Roongroje Thanawongnuwech, dean of Chulalongkorn University's veterinary faculty. It is listed as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Doctors one day found Osmin was irregularly floating in the water from her head to upper torso, but her left rear end was sinking under water. After a CT scan on the marine animal, large metal-like foreign objects were found in her stomach.
"This is a female turtle that weighs about 59 kilograms and the coins all together weighs 5 kilograms, which accounts to about 10 percent of her weight," said Nantarika Chansue of Chulalongkorn University's veterinary science faculty.
The loose change found in the sea turtle's stomach caused Osmin difficulty to swim. The extra weight cracked the turtle's ventral shell, causing a life-threatening infection.
Five surgeons from Chulalongkorn University's veterinary faculty patiently removed the coins over four hours while "Piggy Bank" was under general anesthesia. The stash was too big to take out through the 10-cm (4-inch) incision they had made, so it had to be removed a few coins at a time. Many of them had corroded or partially dissolved.
The vets said they believed the seven-hour-long operation was the world's first such surgery.
"We think it will take about a month to ensure she will fully recover," said Nantarika, adding that the turtle would need six more months of physical therapy.
Source: ABS-CBN | SunStar
Images: CNN | NPR | ABS-CBN | SunStar
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