Mumbai: Fishing hooks removed from throat of two turtles after 2-hour surgeries

The hook stuck in the throat of a flapshell turtle

It took over two hours, but doctors managed to dislodge and remove two fishing hooks from the throats of two rescued flapshell turtles yesterday. These turtles were rescued by animal welfare officials on July 11 and rushed to the Thane Society for Protection of Cruelty to Animals (TSPCA) for treatment.

The two rusty hooks recovered from the injured animals

Dr Dinesh Vinherkar, who performed the surgeries at Dr Vaibhav Pawar's Paws and Claws clinic in Ghatkopar East, said, "X-ray reports of the two turtles revealed that they had fishing hooks embedded inside their throats. While we removed one of the hooks from the anterior part of the oesophagus using guided endoscopy, the second surgery was more complex as it was stuck between the third and fourth cervical vertebrae. They had suffered deep tissue injuries and internal ulcerative wounds because the hooks were rusty."

Doctors operate on one of the turtles Pics/Chinmay Joshi

The turtles have been kept under observation at the TSPCA hospital. Chinmay Joshi, zoologist and a member of the NGO RAWW, said, "These turtles are listed in Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972. Fishing activity within the city must be monitored so that hunting of such species can be prevented."

Pawan Sharma, honorary wildlife warden of Thane from RAWW, said, "The hook injuries could have led to the death of both the animals. The government should also look into establishing an exclusive transit facility for wild animals."