A sea turtle that swallowed 915 coins has undergone a surgery. While the gesture of throwing coins is done for good luck, it appears that it is the other way around for the creature.

The more than 900 coins have been accumulated in the pool where the turtle is placed. As days went by, it has kept on swallowing whatever was thrown causing it to have difficulty in swimming.

Like Us on Facebook

On Monday, veterinarians have finally decided to remove the objects, including the coins, from the sea turtle's stomach. The green creature is living at a conservation area in Sriracha, Chonburi, which is east of Thailand's capital, Bangkok.

The sea turtle, named Omsin or piggy bank in Thai, weighs 59 kilograms (130 pounds). However, an additional weight of five kilograms (11 pounds) has been noted because of what it swallowed over time.

"We think it will take about a month to ensure she will fully recover," said Nantarika Chansue, of Chulalongkorn University's veterinary science faculty, about the seven-hour surgery done to Omsin.

Chansue added that it may need six months before the sea turtle finally recovers. Accordingly, some of the coins collected from the 25-year-old creature's stomach were in foreign denominations, many of which were corroded. The amount of the coins was not mentioned, though.

In the meantime, it has been noted that the life of a green sea turtle can span upto 80 years, according to Roongroje Thanawongnuwech, dean of Chulalongkorn University's veterinary faculty. It is enlisted as one of the endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

If the surgery to remove the objects from the body of the sea turtle was not performed, a "life-threatening" infection could have happened to it. This means that the longevity aimed for by the tourists throwing loose coins at it may not happen to the creature.