BANGKOK — Bank the green sea turtle flapped her flippers with vigor in her first swim after an operation to remove a heavy mass of swallowed coins from her stomach.
Veterinarians in Bangkok put the turtle in water Friday for the first time since her surgery four days ago to see how well she could move. The turtle was gently lowered into a large plastic tank and very quickly began swimming as best as she could in the restricted space.
“It’s fantastic! She is responding very well,” said Dr. Nantarika Chansue, who led the team from Chulalongkorn University’s Veterinary Faculty. “Now she is very happy and looks like normal turtle.”
The 25-year-old turtle was rescued from a pool in the seaside town of Sri Racha by the Thai navy. The cause of her ill health was revealed by 3-D scans that showed she had been eating the coins thrown into her pool by passers-by who believed doing so would bring them luck or longevity.
