Pregnant Turtle Recovers After Operation To Remove Hook From Throat

A pregnant turtle with a fisherman's hook lodged in its throat, close to the heart, has survived after a two and half hour surgery.

Found by children in a Mumbai locality, the Indian flapshell turtle was taken to local vet Deepa Katyal who removed the hook piercing its throat and chest.

"An x-ray showed that the hook had damaged its oral tract and had gone deep into the ceolomic cavity — a narrow margin near the heart," Dr Dev told the Times of India.

"It was wise on the part of those kids to bring the turtle to the clinic. Had it been thrown back into the water, it would have certainly died a slow and painful death."

After ruling out endoscopy to pull out the deeply entrenched hook, a lateral incision was made to remove it.

During the course of the examination, the vet discovered that the turtle was pregnant with nine eggs.

The turtle is recovering at the clinic and will be released back into the waters soon.

The Indian flapshell turtle Lissemys punctata is a freshwater species found in the region and measures up to 37 centimetres in length. An omnivorous, the reptile feeds on frogs, fishes, shrimp, snails, aquatic vegetation, plant leaves, flowers, fruits, grasses and seed.