泰国海龟误食许愿池硬币 医生为其'洗胃'

Tossing coins in a fountain for luck is a popular superstition, but a similar belief brought misery to a sea turtle in Thailand from whom doctors have reMoved 915 coins.

往喷泉里扔硬币来求取好运是一种很常见的迷信活动，但类似的信仰却把一只泰国海龟害苦了，医生从他肚子里取出了915枚硬币。

Veterinarians in Bangkok operated last Monday on the 25-year-old female green sea turtle nicknamed "Bank," whose indigestible diet was a result of many tourists seeking good fortune tossing coins into her pool over many years in the eastern town of Sri Racha.

上周一，曼谷的兽医对一只25岁雌性绿海龟做了手术，这只海龟名叫“Bank”，由于常年来东部是拉差镇的游客都喜欢往它所居住的水池扔硬币以求好运，这使得它严重消化不良。

Many Thais believe that throwing coins on turtles will bring longevity.

很多泰国人认为朝海龟扔硬币可以带来长寿。

Typically, a green sea turtle has a lifespan of around 80 years, said Roongroje Thanawongnuwech, dean of Chulalongkorn University's veterinary faculty. It is listed as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

朱拉隆功大学兽医学院院长荣格罗·松索功表示，绿海龟一般有80年左右的寿命，目前已被国际自然保护联盟列为濒危物种。

The loose change eventually formed a heavy ball in her stomach weighing 5 kilograms (11 pounds). The weight cracked the turtle's ventral shell, causing a life-threatening infection.

最终这些被它吃掉的零钱在它的胃里形成了一个重达5公斤（11磅）的球。这不仅压破了它的腹壳，更造成了致命的感染。

Five surgeons from Chulalongkorn University's veterinary faculty patiently removed the coins over four hours while "Bank" was under general anesthesia.

五名来自朱拉隆功大学兽医学院的外科医生，在Bank全身麻醉的状态下，花费了四个多小时耐心地取出了硬币。

The stash was too big to take out through the 10-cm (4-inch) incision they had made, so it had to be removed a few coins at a time. Many of them had corroded or partially dissolved.

这个藏在胃里的硬币球实在太大，通过10厘米（4英寸）的口子，他们一次只能取出几个硬币。其中很多已经腐蚀或部分溶解了。

The result is satisfactory. Now it's up to Bank how much she can recover, said Pasakorn Briksawan, one of the surgical team.

手术小组一位名叫帕萨功·普列斯威的医生说道：“手术结果还是很令人满意的，现在能恢复多少就要看Bank自己了。”