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The Washington Post

Omsin the sea turtle lived in a pond in a town near the Gulf of Thailand, where her very presence was believed to bring good fortune.
Many people came to toss her money, as custom held that the turtle’s long life would rub off on those who shared their wealth.
Over the years, Omsin was gifted hundreds of coins to bring good karma.
Being a huge reptile with no concept of tradition, she ate them.
Omsin is Thai for “piggy bank” - the name given to the green sea turtle last month by scientists and veterinarians who rescued her at the point of death, shell bulging, infected, barely able to swim for all the fortune she’d swallowed.
Reverence had nearly destroyed Omsin; technology was her only hope. And after surgery on Monday to remove almost 1,000 coins from her belly, she is on the road to recovery.
It’s unclear how the oceanic Omsin found her way into the pond in Sri Racha, but she would hardly be the first turtle to undergo the Buddhist ritual of “mercy release” that long predates the best of advice of modern wildlife experts.
Combine that with another tradition - hurling monetary offerings - and it’s a recipe for disaster.
So last month conservationists brought two dozen turtles from Sri Racha to veterinary scientist Nantarika Chansue - Thailand’s leading turtle rescuer. Chansue has been freeing turtles from filthy ponds for 15 years - ever since a monk asked her to help those dumped around his temple, she once told the Bangkok Post.
Through her rehabilitation center, Chansue’s team had rescued thousands of the animals.
But she’d never seen one like Omsin before.
“I’m not sure how to handle this,” she wrote on Facebook in early February, after setting the turtle in a pool at her university, only to watch it flop in circles and nearly drown.
People raised money for a CT scan, which revealed the problem: an egg-shaped clump, almost 20cm long on the side, glowing silver in the scan.
It turned out to be 5kg of coins pressing against the walls of Omsin’s belly.
“It’s torture for animals after they eat the coins people throw into ponds,” Chansue explained to the outlet Khaosod. “Instead of getting merit, you actually commit a sin.”
Now the turtle had the best of Thailand’s knowledge on her side. At Chulalongkorn University, a team fed Omsin nutritional supplements and prepared her for surgery to remove the coins.
But Chansue sounded grim about her chances. Besides coins, Omsin had swallowed a fish hook.
The operation finally came last week. It was harder than expected.
More than half a dozen surgeons and assistants hoisted the 60kg turtle onto a table, put her under and strapped her down.
They cut a hole into her shell to get to the coins, Khaosod reported, but couldn’t reach them.
“They had to cut into her stomach,” the outlet wrote, “making sure not to tear the delicate lining of the turtle’s abdomen.”
Omsin was under the knife for seven hours on Monday.
Slowly, carefully, the vets filled a bucket with coin after coin - Thai coins; foreign coins; coins so corroded that their provenance could not be known.
Total: 915 coins, each one supposed to be a blessing.
“Piggy Bank is okay now but she will have to remain at the centre for up to two weeks,” Chansue said.
Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse


This revered turtle was offered coins as a blessing. She ate 5kg of them and nearly died

Omsin rests after surgery to remove 915 coins from her stomach at the Faculty of Veterinary Science at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok on Monday. Photo: Reuters

Thai veterinarians prepare to operate on Omsin, a 25 year old femal green sea turtle, to remove coins from her stomach at the Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand March 6, 2017. The Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVE.

Thai veterinarians operate on Omsin, a 25 year old femal green sea turtle, to remove coins from her stomach at the Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand March 6, 2017. The Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVE.

Officers count coins that were removed from the stomach of Omsin, a 25 year old femal green sea turtle, after a surgical operation at the Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand March 6, 2017. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha

Omsin, a 25 year old femal green sea turtle, rests after a surgical operation to remove coins from her stomach at the Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand March 6, 2017. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha

Screens show a CT scan of Omsin, a 25 year old femal green sea turtle, during a news conference at the Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand March 6, 2017. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha

Canadian smuggler who had 51 turtles in his pants pleads guilty in US

No Caption Available.

Kai Xu was busted when the “irregularly shaped bulges” in his sweatpants were revealed to be dozens of turtles. Photo: CBSA

Appetite for Asian turtles is driving some species to extinction

Don’t eat that trash ... Marine debris from human pollution is endangering sea turtles

(From left) Ocean Park Director of Veterinary Service Paolo Martelli and Aquarium Curator of Marine Exhibits Walter Tang Yiu-ming announce the surgery success on a rescued sea turtle. Photo: Edward Wong

Dozens of rare turtles rescued from fish raft near Lamma Island

Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department staff seized 36 live sea turtles from a raft at Sok Kwu Wan Fish Culture Zone. Photo: SCMP Pictures

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