Thai "piggy bank" turtle slips into coma after op to remove coins

Thai "piggy bank" turtle slips into coma after op to remove coins

BANGKOK - A 25-year-old sea turtle in Thailand slipped into a coma on Sunday after an operation to remove 915 coins from her stomach earlier this month.

The green sea turtle named Omsin, "piggy bank" in Thai, had been finding it hard to swim normally after swallowing 5 kg (11 lb) of coins thrown into her pool for good luck.

Omsin underwent a seven-hour-long operation earlier this month, but concerns rose among Thais after she was rushed to an intensive care unit on Sunday night.

"She is in a coma and breathes very slowly," one of the veterinarians taking care of Omsin told Reuters.

"There's a chance of survival if she can make it through tonight." Nantarika Chansue, of Chulalongkorn University's veterinary science faculty, urged people to pray for Omsin in a Facebook post on Monday.

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