A veterinarian team from Chulalongkorn University has taken out 915 coins weighing a total of 5kg from the stomach of an ailing sea turtle that swallowed the coins thrown into its pond by people seeking good fortune.
"The operation was difficult and challenging but the result is satisfactory. The turtle is now under close monitoring and needs time to recover," Pasakorn Brikshavana, chief of the 10-vet operation team, said after the seven-hour operation.
The 25-year-old female turtle, called Orm Sin (piggy bank), was apparently showing an improvement in breathing after the operation. The coins removed from the turtle's stomach comprise several currencies, mostly Thai baht and other Asian currencies.
Vet Pasakorn said the team decided to cut the turtle's abdominal shell about 10cm to operate on its stomach after the animal was anaesthetised. After opening up its stomach, the team found dozens of coins packed inside adhering to the stomach wall. It took around four hours just to take out the coins.
"It is hard to imagine how it ate so many coins. I have never seen a case like this before," he said.
Nantarika Chansue, director of Aquatic Animal Research Centre of Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Veterinarian Science, said she felt angry when the result of CT scan showed a bunch of coins in the turtle's stomach, saying both intentional and non-intentional actions by humans harmed the animal.
"The coins weighed as much as 10% of its total weight, affecting its ability to swim. The animal absorbed heavy metal substances from the coins and it might take half a year of physical therapy for it to recover," she said.
Vet Nantarika said the turtle has developed anaemia and neurotic conditions due to the impact of heavy metal substances and the vets will examine the condition of its liver as the next step.
The turtle will be under close surveillance for one week before it is sent back to the Royal Thai Navy's Sea Turtle Conservation Centre in Chon Buri province. The animal was taken to the Faculty of Veterinary Science last month after it partially lost the ability to swim and was weak and drowsy.
The faculty did a CT scan of the turtle and discovered a huge lump of coins that measured 20 x 23 x 20cm in its stomach. This was pressing down on the ventral shell, which had cracked in the abdominal area and had become infected.
Commander Thanapon Klomnark, director of the navy centre, said the centre received 26 sea turtles, including Orm Sin, from Si Racha municipality in June last year after the municipality renovated its facility and could no longer take care of the animals.
The turtle ate coins which visitors threw into its pond for good luck.