An injured big-headed turtle (Platysternon megacephalum) was found near a stream in a national park in Phrae province, rescued and sent to a veterinary clinic for medical treatment on Saturday.
According to Prawit Jaikham, chief of Wiang Kosai National Park, a group of tourists came across the turtle, an endangered species, lying near a stream close to Mae Koeng Luangwaterfall yesterday.
The tourists found the turtle barely moving and its shell cracked. They alerted park officials, who collected it and took it to a town about 80km away for treatment.
Officials think that the turtle might have been struck by a falling rock, which cracked its shell, and that it might not have eaten for several days.
The officials visited three clinics, but none of their vets had experience treating injured turtles. At the fourth clinic, though, they found a vet who had treated turtles with cracked shell before.
The vet said the turtle might be suffering a lot from the cracked shell, because it struggled and tried to escape while being treated. The wound on the shell was cleaned and fixed, while antibiotics and an analgesic were administered.
The vet said the turtle will be kept at the clinic until it fully recovers. It will then be released back into the wild in the national park.
