Who knew that tortoises got bladder stones? Well someone at Bristol Zoo did because they’ve just extracted one the size of an egg from a rare African pancake tortoise (Malacochersus tornieri).

“We x-rayed the tortoise as part of a standard health check, and were amazed when we saw the size of the bladder stone,” says Sharon Redrobe, the zoo’s head vet (press release).

“I’ve performed bladder stone operations on tortoises before, but never on a pancake tortoise and never with a bladder stone this big. Despite initial concerns that we might not be able to get the bladder stone out of the hole we made in the shell, the operation went very well and there were no complications.”

More

Polly’s Lifesaving ‘Keyhole’ Op – Sky news

Endangered tortoise operated on – BBC*

Rare African pancake tortoise saved by surgery – Western Daily Press

*naughty BBC. It is classified as ‘vulnerable’ not ‘endangered’.

Image: Bristol Zoo