A turtle in a conservation center in Thailand underwent surgery to remove an 11-pound metal ball from her stomach after she swallowed 915 coins that had been tossed into her pool.
The Associated Press reported that the 25-year-old female green sea turtle, who is nicknamed "Bank," was in surgery in Bangkok on Monday.
Coins were tossed into her pool at Sea Turtle Conservation Center in Chonburi Province, Thailand, as many Thais believe that tossing coins on turtles leads to a long life, The AP reported.
BuzzFeed News reported that the swallowed coins formed an 11-pound ball in the turtle's stomach that cracked her shell and led to an infection.
Members of the Royal Thai Navy noticed the turtle in distress and brought her to veterinarians in February.
Surgeons also found two fish hooks in the reptile and removed them.
"I felt angry that humans, whether or not they meant to do it or if they did it without thinking, had caused harm to this turtle," Nantarika Chansue, head of Chulalongkorn University's veterinary medical aquatic animal research center, told The AP.
CNN reported that the turtle is recovering rom the surgery and will be released into the ocean once she is fully healed.
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