Pond terrapin falls off fourth floor of Bengaluru building, shell fixed after three-hour surgery

BENGALURU: A pond terrapin suffered multiple fractures on its shell after falling from the fourth floor of a building in Rajarajeshwari Nagar. It was picked up by a team of rescuers from People for Animals ( PfA) and was successfully treated.

A member of the Indian Railway Police had confiscated the terrapin while on duty in Nagpur and kept it on his terrace. He then informed PfA, that sent a team of rescuers.

Medications were provided to treat the injuries and trauma. Medical glue was applied to fix the shell but it couldn't hold the cracks together, following which a surgery had to be performed. On August 12, 2021, our team of veterinarians, including Chief Veterinarian Colonel Dr Navaz Shariff, Dr Ravi Maurya, Dr Madhav and Wildlife Rehabilitator Karthik Prabhu, operated on the pond terrapin. 

Light-weight, state-of-the-art titanium plates were used to repair the shells. Five plates were used — two on the dorsal surface and three on the ventral surface. Dr Shariff said, "These plates are very expensive but are light weight. They are erosion-resistant and strong enough to hold fracture ends in place without causing much tissue damage."

One side of the terrapin's shell had broken and sunk to about an inch and bringing it together was quite a challenge, the veterinarians said. Following constant monitoring of its health status, the surgery lasted about three hours. The terrapin is currently doing well and moving around. The recovery is expected to take two to three months until it is fit to be released.