Vets have operated on a turtle who swallowed 915 coins while swimming in a good fortune pool in Thailand.
The sea creature, nicknamed Bank, has been eating the pennies tourists throw into its pool in Sri Racha for many years.
But when the coins formed an 11-pound ball in its stomach, cracking Bank's ventral shell, the navy took the turtle to see the vet.
She had swallowed the equivalent of 2,000 baht, or £45.
Five surgeons from Chulalongkorn University's veterinary faculty patiently removed the coins over four hours while '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.
Pasakorn Briksawan, one of the surgical team, said: 'The result is satisfactory. Now it's up to Bank how much she can recover.'
While recovering in Chulalongkorn University's animal hospital, the turtle will be on a liquid diet for the next two weeks.
It was only after a detailed 3D scan that veterinarians pinpointed the weighty and unexpected problem. As well as the coins they also found two fish hooks, which were also removed.
The surgery team leader said Monday that when she discovered the cause of the turtle's agony she was furious.
'I felt angry that humans, whether or not they meant to do it or if they did it without thinking, had caused harm to this turtle,' said Nantarika Chansue, head of Chulalongkorn University's veterinary medical aquatic animal research center.
Many Thais believe that throwing coins on a turtle will bring good luck.
Typically, a green sea turtle has a lifespan of around 80 years, said Roongroje Thanawongnuwech, dean of Chulalongkorn University's veterinary faculty.
It is listed as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Thai media began publicizing the turtle's tale last month after she was found, and in response, some 15,000 baht, or £350, in donations was raised from the public to pay for her surgery.
The sea creature, nicknamed Bank, has been eating the pennies tourists throw into its pool in Sri Racha for many years.
But when the coins formed an 11-pound ball in its stomach, cracking Bank's ventral shell, the navy took the turtle to see the vet.
She had swallowed the equivalent of 2,000 baht, or £45.
Five surgeons from Chulalongkorn University's veterinary faculty patiently removed the coins over four hours while '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.
Pasakorn Briksawan, one of the surgical team, said: 'The result is satisfactory. Now it's up to Bank how much she can recover.'
While recovering in Chulalongkorn University's animal hospital, the turtle will be on a liquid diet for the next two weeks.
It was only after a detailed 3D scan that veterinarians pinpointed the weighty and unexpected problem. As well as the coins they also found two fish hooks, which were also removed.
The surgery team leader said Monday that when she discovered the cause of the turtle's agony she was furious.
'I felt angry that humans, whether or not they meant to do it or if they did it without thinking, had caused harm to this turtle,' said Nantarika Chansue, head of Chulalongkorn University's veterinary medical aquatic animal research center.
Many Thais believe that throwing coins on a turtle will bring good luck.
Typically, a green sea turtle has a lifespan of around 80 years, said Roongroje Thanawongnuwech, dean of Chulalongkorn University's veterinary faculty.
It is listed as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Thai media began publicizing the turtle's tale last month after she was found, and in response, some 15,000 baht, or £350, in donations was raised from the public to pay for her surgery.
Music: "On My Way" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Source: Reuters, Daily Mail, AP
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