This is the tense moment a team of vets painstakingly removed a fish hook from the mouth of a softshell turtle, which had swallowed it accidentally.

According to local media, men who were fishing at a lake near Bhubaneswar in eastern India, saw the turtle swallowing the bait on the evening of September 15. They then called Snake Helpline and handed over the turtle to Subhendu Mallik, founder of the organisation.

Subhendu took the turtle to the veterinary college at Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology, where Dr. Indramani Nath took an X-ray to locate the position of the fishing hook.

Footage from September 16 shows Dr. Indramani Nath administer anaesthesia and operate to remove the hook, which was embedded deep inside the mouth of the turtle.

The operation took a total of 90 minutes.

"The turtle is out of danger now and is on antibiotics and painkillers. It will be on observation for a week and then released back to nature," said Dr. Indramani Nath.

This was the heartwarming moment a team of vets painstakingly removes a fishhook from the mouth of a soft shell turtle, which had swallowed it accidentally.

A few men, who were fishing at a lake near Bhubaneswar in eastern India, saw the turtle swallowing the bait on the evening of September 15. They called Snake Helpline and handed over the turtle to Subhendu Mallik, founder of the organisation.

Subhendu took the turtle to the veterinary college at Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology, where Dr Indramani Nath took an X-ray to locate the position of the fishing hook.

He administered anaesthesia and operated the poor animal for 90 minutes to remove the hook, which was embedded deep inside the mouth.

"The turtle is out of danger now and is on antibiotics and painkillers. It will be on observation for a week and then released back to nature," said Dr Nath.