Hundreds of coins removed from belly of green sea turtle

After the seven-hour-long operation, the turtle was free of the 915 coins and other objects stuck in her belly.

Vets operated on Omsin on Monday, removing removed some 915 coins weighing almost 5 kg, according to Nantarika Chansue, an associate professor at Chulalongkorn University who has been spearheading the turtle’s recovery.

“I hope this case taught us not to throw coins into any pond with animals in it”, Chansue wrote on Facebook.

The turtle is on the mend and is expected to be released into the ocean after she makes a full recovery. Sea turtles can live 80 to 100 years, according to the National Wildlife Foundation.

Tossing a coin into a pool is believed to be good luck.

“Throwing the coins is more bad karma because it is animal torture”.

Locals affectionately call her “Om Sin”, which translates to Piggy Bank.

Throwing coins onto turtles, according to Thai superstition, brings longevity to the thrower. Tourists threw coins to the giant turtle with the belief that they are saving money which Fortune will return to them in multiple blessings.

Bank was brought to veterinarians by members of the navy who found her in agony at the abandoned park in Thailand’s Chonburi province. About 15,000 baht was raised for the doctors to perform surgeon on the turtle. Surgery took four hours.

Slowly, carefully, the vets filled a bucket with coin after coin – Thai coins; foreign coins; coins so corroded that their provenance could not be known.

The coins, which altogether ended up weighing around 11 pounds, are seen being counted after their removal on Monday.

If you want to trade coins for karma, Chansue told Khaosod, try a donation box.