Surgeons remove around 915 coins swallowed by Thai sea turtle

Thai surgeons on Monday performed an emergency operation to avoid breaking the "Bank" -- the nickname of a sea turtle who had ingested 915 coins that were cracking its shell. Fox news

Veterinarians in Bangkok operated on the 25-year-old female green sea turtle who had been inadvertently fed a diet of coins by luck-seeking tourists. Surgeons made a 4-inch incision in Bank, removing 11 pounds of coins that had cracked part of its shell -- causing a life-threatening infection.

Many Thais believe throwing coins on turtles will bring longevity, and nearly a thousand tossed coins at Bank in her pool in the eastern town of Sri Racha.

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.

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