Tortoises vs Mastiffs – One day they "tangled" together and the result was terrible! Baby tortoises weigh less than a pound, and English mastiffs weigh nearly 90 pounds. Although the turtle is a well-known defensive expert and can hide in a hard shell, the mastiff is more aggressive, with a bite force of 556 pounds. The battle of extremely mismatched strength resulted in serious injuries to the baby tortoise.
The baby tortoise is called kali and is a female Russian tortoise. At first, when kali's owner found his bloodied pet turtle in the mastiff's mouth, he was sure it was dead. He was sure that there was movement in the cardboard box containing kali preparing to bury it until he was ready to bury the little tortoise in a corner of the garden. Seeing that Kali was still alive, he drove the injured pet to a pet hospital 200 miles away. The doctors there gave him a glimmer of hope, but only a glimmer of hope.
Doctors examined Kali and said: "It is unlikely that she will survive, she has multiple shell fractures, missing several pieces of tortoiseshell, exposing the body cavity where vital organs are stored, we think it is difficult for her to survive because her wounds are too large and exposed bones and soft tissues can lead to sepsis and fatal infections." ”
Kali was extremely dehydrated, drowsy, and unresponsive. Without intervention, Kali would surely die. The shell of the turtle consists of two parts: the dorsal carapace and the ventral carapace. They are all made up of many fused bones, covered with shield armor, which is made up of matter, a hard substance similar to a fingernail or horn. Although Kali's shell was bitten both front and back, most of the damage occurred at the right rear of her shell, with large pieces of shield armor falling off, revealing the bones beneath. The only good thing is that the membrane that envelops vital organs is intact.
Doctors use a soft bristle brush and syringe to carefully clean and rinse the wound to further evaluate the injury. The doctor told kali's owner: "Careful care is especially important, if the membrane that wraps the vital organs is pierced, then kali will be completely helpless." ”
In addition to being severely dehydrated, Kali's body system is in a state of depression, she looks somewhat lifeless, and her metabolism has slowed down — a way nature helps organisms survive. Doctors injected her regularly with painkillers and applied antibiotics to her wounds, gave her antibacterial soaks and subcutaneous hydration every day, and wrapped kali in elastic bandages all over her body.
After about five days, Kali seemed to get out of her drowsy state, she would look up, move slightly, and seem to have survived, Kali continued to stay in the hospital for observation and treatment for a month. There, she walked every day on the grass, enjoying the natural medicines – the fresh air and the warm sunshine.
The strength of the little tortoise throughout the ordeal and the spirit with which she seemed to be fighting for her life was impressive. As we all know, the Russian tortoise is a tenacious creature, distributed in Afghanistan, Iran, China and Uzbekistan, and endures harsh desert environments, hot summers and cold winters.
Speaking of survival, it's interesting to note that the two Russian tortoises were the first vertebrates to travel around the moon and survive the harsh journey. In September 1968, two Russian tortoises were launched into space aboard the Zander 5 spacecraft. After orbiting the moon for a week, they returned to Earth and landed in the Indian Ocean. Although the two turtles lost 10% weight during their journey, they both had a good appetite when they returned. According to reports at the time, "the first creatures to see the Earth rise from the moon were communist turtles." ”
Since kali's internal organs are exposed and the shell can no longer grow, some consider reconstructing parts of the shell with wire and special polymers. But eventually the idea was abandoned, because kali can live in a relatively safe environment, free from the threat of wild animals, and if the shell is reconstructed, then infection may occur inside the reconstructed shell.
After Kali was handed over to her owner, home treatment continued for several months, with antibiotics injected every three days and antibiotic cream applied to where her bones were exposed and on the broken edges of the turtle shell. Four months later, Kali gained weight and regained the same activity and alertness she had been before she fought the Mastiff. Although she wouldn't win any turtle pageants, the exposed bones were covered with scar tissue, and the membrane protecting the internal organs thickened. Kali has another chance to live on for a long time.
This small tortoise, which is only the size of a palm and comes from Central Asia, strives to regenerate its own life, so that we have to admire the tenacity and greatness of life.
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Further reading:
Eight things you probably don't know about turtles!
Why did turtles evolve shells? It's not really about defense.
How did an overturned giant tortoise get back on the ground?
How should turtles supplement calcium?
Highly equipped turtle tank, your Brazilian turtle can also have!