A Nakhon Si Thammarat woman saved a soft-shelled gold-colored turtle from the boiling pot because she believes the amphibian is lucky.
Laddawan Meesuk and her husband Niruth Sukom, both 37, went to the Huay Tung Na Canal in Muang District following massive flooding that hit the southern province last week to see what they could catch.
After a couple hours, they landed the female soft-shelled turtle that is about a year old and 20 centimeters long. Niruth wanted to cook it when they got home, but Laddawan refused. She announced she wanted to raise it as a family member and named it Thong Ma to reflect its lucky gold color.
She now feeds it fish food and bits of pork. Word also got around that Laddawan had a gold turtle and neighbors lined up to see the lucky critter, some offering 10,000 baht to buy it. She declined all offers.
Laddawan said she always had dreams and a fortuneteller told her that she will soon be rich. So she regularly touches the gold turtle’s shell and prays for blessings and winning lottery numbers.
