2017-02-25 Sat

A 25-year-old turtle named ‘Bank’ swallowed thousands of coins thrown into her pond due to which she suffered from a broken shell and severe breathlessness. Upon medical inspection, the vets thought that she had a tumour, only to be discovered later through CT scans that she had swallowed several coins from the pond. Tourists have been throwing coins into a pond in Chonburi, Thailand for good luck and the turtle has been swallowing these coins since several years.

Her abdomen carried almost 2,000THB in coins (£45) which caused an extreme swelling in her stomach. Her stomach was pressing against the shell which cracked and got infected. She was also suffering from severe lung inflammation, causing problems in breathing, diving and eating. The weight of the coins made her move very slowly as well. Bank would have died if rescuers hadn’t found her in this condition.

The vets said that they would be operating on her in almost two weeks after her condition becomes a bit more stable. The cash removed during the operation will be kept as a warning to visitors. The vets also made an appeal to stop throwing coins in ponds with animals as it can be very dangerous for marine life. The public is now also donating money for the operation.