Veterinarians in Bangkok on Monday removed 915 coins from the stomach of a captive sea turtle.
The 25-year-old female green turtle named Omsin – Thai for piggy bank – had accumulated the hoard from years of visitors throwing coins into her tank at a conservation centre in Sriracha, Chonburi, east of the Thai capital.
Many Thais believe that throwing coins on turtles will bring longevity.
The loose change eventually formed a 5-kilogram ball in Omsin’s stomach, affecting her ability to swim. Veterinarians decided to operate after the weight cracked the turtle’s ventral shell, causing a life-threatening infection.
turtleOmsin is seen next to tray of coins which were removed from its stomach. EPA
The turtle itself weighed 59kg.
The vets said they believed the seven-hour operation, performed under general anaesthesia, was the world’s first such surgery.
"We think it will take about a month to ensure she will fully recover," said Nantarika Chansue, of Chulalongkorn University’s veterinary science faculty, adding that Omsin would need six more months of physical therapy.
There was no immediate estimate of the value of the coins, some of them foreign and many corroded.

Source: The National