A team of veterinary surgeons on Monday, March 6th, successfully removed
nearly a thousand coins from a turtle's stomach in Thailand, the
world's first such surgery.
"The coins came from many countries, mainly from Asia," Nuntarika Chansoe said in a press briefing following the surgery.
Tossing coins into ponds is believed by many to bring good luck, and, in
ponds with turtles, longevity, as the animals can live well over 100
years. Some also believe they are "making merit" for the animals, which
is a Buddhist tradition.
Omsin is a 25-year-old green turtle sent from a local turtle pond in
Sriracha, a town 120 kilometres south-east of Bangkok, to the Thai
navy's Sea Turtle Conservation Centre nearby after the local operator
closed down in June.
In February, veterinarians at the Bangkok university asked the navy to
send Omsin to its animal hospital for a check-up, after the team found
the turtle to be swimming sideways without using her left leg.
"At first I thought the turtle might have been paralysed. But an X-ray and a CT scan revealed a massive chunk of objects," Nuntarika said.
"It was quite a difficult and challenging task," said Pasakorn Briksawan, one of the surgeons operating on Omsin.
"After we removed the coins one by one, it became obvious the turtle was breathing much better," Nuntarika added.
Once Omsin recuperates, she will be sent back to the navy before being released back to nature.
Source: DPA International
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