World

Turtle found with 1,000 coins in stomach dies

The female green green turtle nicknamed "Piggy Bank" slipped into a coma two weeks after it had life-saving surgery to remove 915 coins from her stomach
The female green green turtle nicknamed "Piggy Bank" slipped into a coma two weeks after it had life-saving surgery to remove 915 coins from her stomach The female green green turtle nicknamed "Piggy Bank" slipped into a coma two weeks after it had life-saving surgery to remove 915 coins from her stomach

A 25-year-old green sea turtle in Thailand, which swallowed hundreds of coins thrown by tourists seeking luck and longevity, has died two weeks after having surgery to remove the coins from her stomach.

The turtle – nicknamed Omsin, or "Piggy Bank" – died on Tuesday after having nearly 1,000 coins removed from her stomach in a four-hour operation.

Omsin had been rescued by Thai navy personnel who saw her visibly ailing in the seaside town of Sattahip. She was examined by a vet who found the coins inside her stomach.

The story attracted international media attention and a public campaign was launched to ease Omsin's plight. The weight of the money inside her had cracked her underside shell, and threatened a fatal infection.

The cause of death was intestinal obstruction blocking her protein intake, while nickel toxicity from the coins damaged her immune system, said Dr Roongroje Thanawongnuwech, dean of the veterinary school at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University.

The turtle appeared to be doing well after the operation, but a check-up on Saturday revealed problems with her intestines. Doctors performed a second two-and-a-half-hour operation, but Omsin never woke up and died on Tuesday morning.

"She at least had the chance to swim freely and eat happily before she passed," said Dr Nantarika Chansue, who led the team that removed 915 coins weighing 11lb from her stomach on March 6.