(ORDO NEWS) — A big celebration in the life of a Seychelles giant tortoise named Jonathan, an animal living on Saint Helena in the South Atlantic, turned 190 years old on December 4th.
Although there is no exact date of his birth, it is believed that Jonathan was born around 1832. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Jonathan is the oldest tortoise to ever exist.
The St. Helena governor’s home, where Jonathan has spent most of his life, has opened for three days to mark the “historic milestone” in honor of the holiday, CNN reported.
Also in honor of the anniversary, a series of commemorative stamps was issued on the island.
It is officially believed that Jonathan was born around 1832, and he has been living on Saint Helena since 1882 – then he, a native of the Seychelles, was presented to Sir William Gray-Wilson, who later became the governor of the island.
At the same time, Jonathan’s age may be more – according to the head of the tourism department of St. Helena, the turtle is already 200 years old.
The previous record holder was Tui Malila, a radiant tortoise who lived to be at least 188 years old.
Given to the royal family of Tonga (this is in Oceania) by British explorer Captain James Cook around 1777, the tortoise died in 1965.
Jonathan is one of the attractions of Saint Helena. The elderly animal lives with three other giant tortoises: David, Emma and Fred.
Although due to old age, Jonathan is already almost blind and has lost his sense of smell, his hearing is still excellent – he responds perfectly to the voice of his veterinarian Joe Hollins.
According to him, despite the fact that some of Jonathan’s senses have failed, the animal still has a lot of energy. Although it depends on the weather.
“On warm days, he likes to sunbathe, stretching his long neck and paws out of the shell. But in cold weather, he prefers to burrow into foliage or mowed grass and stay there all day, ”said the veterinarian.
He added that Jonathan, despite his venerable age, still has a good libido, and he is often seen mating with Emma, and sometimes, excuse me, with Fred – after all, age and poor eyesight.
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