'Piggy Bank,' Coin-Eating Sea Turtle In Thailand, Dies Due To Blood Poisoning

Two weeks after undergoing a seven-hour operation to remove about 1,000 coins lodged in its stomach, a 25-year-old sea turtle, which had been nicknamed "piggy bank," died of blood poisoning Tuesday.

The cause of the turtle's death in Thailand was confirmed by Dr. Achariya Sailasuta, a professor at the veterinary faculty at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University, according to Phys.org. The animal, whose real name is Omsin (which means piggy bank), died after lapsing into a coma that followed its second operation Sunday, according to reports. Doctors said the turtle had been suffering from intestinal problems after the operation.

"'At 10.10am she went with peace…She at least had the chance to swim freely and eat happily before she passed…She is my friend, teacher and patient," said Dr. Nantarika Chansue, a veterinarian surgeon who removed 11 pounds of coins from the turtle's stomach on March 6, according to the Daily Mail.

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Omsin resided in a public pond in Chonburi province, about 110 miles southeast of Bangkok. She swallowed the coins thrown by locals as a sign of good luck. Over time, the weight of the coins developed a crack on her shell.

Five surgeons from Chulalongkorn University's veterinary faculty patiently removed about 915 coins worth about $57 while the turtle was under general anesthesia. Many coins had reportedly become corroded or partially dissolved over time.

She was initially thought to be recovering well after the successful operation. However, a gap in her stomach from the removal of the coins reportedly caused her intestines to become tangled, causing acute infection in the intestines that also blocked blood flow.

The animal falls within the list of endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Her operation had been reportedly crowdfunded though donations by the Thai public, which is now questioning the practice of throwing coins into water bodies for good luck.