Sea turtle which swallowed 1,000 coins dies after surgery to remove them

A sea turtle which swallowed nearly 1,000 coins thrown by tourists in Thailand seeking good luck has died two weeks after having surgery to remove them from its stomach.

The cause of death was blood poisoning from the loose change, said Dr Achariya Sailasuta, a professor at the veterinary faculty at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University.

“She at least had the chance to swim freely and eat happily before she passed,” said Dr Nantarika Chansue, who removed 11lb (5kg) of coins from the turtle’s stomach in an hours-long operation on March 6.

The turtle - nicknamed Bank - appeared to be doing well after the operation, but a check-up on Saturday revealed problems with its intestines.

Doctors performed a second operation, but Bank never woke up and died this morning.

Bank lived in a public pond in Chonburi province, about 110 miles (175km) south-east of Bangkok.

The turtle swallowed 915 coins that tourists threw into the pond. Eventually, the money formed a weight that cracked Bank’s shell.