Surgeons remove 915 coins swallowed by Thai sea turtle

Hundreds of coins removed from sea turtle's belly

Raw video: Veterinarians perform life-saving operation on sea turtle in Bangkok to remove 915 coins from animal's stomach

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.

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.

A picture of coins that were removed from a female green turtle nicknamed "Bank." (AP)

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 incision they had made, so it had to be removed a few coins at a time. Many of them had corroded or partially dissolved.

"The result is satisfactory. Now it's up to Bank how much she can recover," said Pasakorn Briksawan, one of the surgical team. While recovering in Chulalongkorn University's animal hospital, the turtle will be on a liquid diet for the next two weeks.

Bank was brought in to veterinarians by the navy, which found her ailing in her seaside hometown.

It was only after a detailed 3D scan that veterinarians pinpointed the weighty and unexpected problem. As well as the coins they also found 2 fish hooks, which were also removed today.

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.

Thai media began publicizing the turtle's tale last month after she was found, and in response, some 15,000 baht ($428) in donations was raised from the public to pay for her surgery.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.