The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources has announced good news about a sea turtle that swallowed a wristband that a tourist offered it to eat; it has now successfully expelled it through its stool.
On 18 Dec 2025 GMT+7, Dr. Pinsak Suraswadi, Director-General of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, received a report from the Upper Andaman Marine and Coastal Resources Research Center (UAMCRC) concerning a sea turtle that swallowed a wristband given by a tourist while snorkeling near the Similan Islands on 21 Nov 2025 GMT+7. Wildlife park officials tracked the turtle near Koh Ha and Koh Hok islands before transferring it to Thap Lamu Pier for urgent examination and treatment by the research center.
The veterinary team at the Sirithan Rare Marine Animal Rescue Center of UAMCRC continuously examined the turtle’s health from the time of the incident. On 1 Dec 2025 GMT+7, X-rays combined with barium swallow tests identified the wristband inside the turtle’s digestive tract, measuring about 20 cm in circumference. It was mixed with stool without causing any intestinal blockage, and blood tests showed normal results.
The turtle was able to eat and defecate normally. Observations of its stool revealed plant and fruit fragments not part of its natural diet, including pineapple leaves, papaya seeds, and banana leaves, which normally cannot be digested by turtles.
Veterinarians continuously monitored the turtle’s health daily until 18 Dec 2025 GMT+7, when the sea turtle expelled the yellow wristband along with banana leaves, which are indigestible in its digestive system. The entire process from ingestion to expulsion took 27 days. Veterinarians continue to assess the turtle’s condition and coordinate with park officials to plan its release back into the wild. They also recommend managing water tourism activities properly by avoiding feeding turtles unnatural food or foreign objects.