It's Presently Blind: Meet World’s Oldest Living Tortoise Jonathan That is 190-Years-Old
- Jonathan, recorded as the world's oldest living tortoise, is 190-years-old and still going around with full strength
- The animal was said to have been born at a time when technology had not advanced and there was nothing like air travel through planes
- Jonathan's vet revealed that though old age has affected the animal in some way, it still has great energy to eat and mate
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The oldest living tortoise, Jonathan, was born at a time the late Queen Victoria was a teenager. While the monarch had died more than 120 years ago at 81, the animal still lives on.
CNN reports that Jonathan is not only living but is still walking around in full health. In 2022, the animal’s 190th birthday will be marked on St Helena, a small island in the UK.
Source: UGC
Many governments have come and gone
The Guinness World Records has Jonathan as the oldest ever chelonian. That category consists of other animals such as tortoises, terrapins, and turtles.
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Born around 1832, it was reported that the animal was given to Sir William Grey Wilson who later in his political career became a governor. Since then, more than 30 governors have been elected to show how long the tortoise has lived.
Source: UGC
How old is the animal really?
The same media reports that since nobody truly knows Jonathan’s exact age, it could be more than 200 years old. Matt Joshua, the head of tourism on St Helena also believes so.
He said:
"Jonathan could actually be 200 because the information regarding his arrival on the island is not exact and because there's no real record of his birth."
Other evidence of his age came up when a very old photo taken between 1882 and 1886 surfaced. In that snap, Jonathan was already fully grown as it stayed gazing peacefully in a garden.
Source: UGC
Jonathan is not the only tortoise that has crossed the 100-year-old mark, Tu’I Malila, a beautiful tortoise lived until it was 188.
Jonathan would be great history if it were human
If it were human, then it would have spoken a lot about how it has witnessed different changes in human history.
Between the time Jonathan was thought to have been born and now, many technological inventions like an aeroplane which had its very first flight in 1903 happened. In that period too, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first set of people on the moon.
Old age, but it still lives on
Jonathan now lives a routine like eating, sleeping, and mating. Old age has also taken its toll on it as the animal is fed by hand because it is presently blind.
Though the animal has lost its sight, his hearing is perfect according to Guinness World Records. His vet, Joe Hollins, said that despite some of its senses being weak. Jonathan's energy is still tremendous for an animal that has lived so long.
In his words:
"On mild days, he will sunbathe - his long neck and legs stretched fully out of his shell to absorb heat and transfer it to his core.”
Jonathan lives together with three other giant tortoises named Emma, Fred, and David. Some of his best food are apples, carrots, and cucumbers.
Giant turtle saved in Nigeria
Meanwhile, YEN.com.gh earlier reported that a Nigerian man, Aderemi Adegbite, saved a turtle from people who were trying to hack it and make the animal food.
Taking to his Facebook page on Thursday, August 19, 2021, the man revealed that he rescued the turtle from people in Iwaya/Makoko area of Lagos state.
Aderemi added that he will be donating the turtle to any aqua concern organisation as he gave its measurement as 80.1 by 60.96 centimetres.
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Nathaniel Crabbe (Human-Interest editor) Nathaniel Crabbe is a journalist and editor with a degree in Journalism from the Ghana Institute of Journalism, where he graduated in 2015. He earned his master's from UPSA in December 2023. Before becoming an editor/writer of political/entertainment and human interest stories at Asaase Radio, Crabbe was a news reporter at TV3 Ghana. With experience spanning over ten years, he now works at YEN.com.gh as a human interest editor. You can reach him via nathaniel.crabbe@yen.com.gh.
Aba Afful (Copyeditor) Maame Aba serves as a copy editor at YEN.com.gh. She naturally enjoys working with words and has an eye for quality content. She has a keen interest in cyberspace and wants to see YEN.com.gh produce more impactful, thought-provoking, and error-free content. Aba has five years of experience as a content writer, blogger, author, and proofreader. She graduated from the Ghana Institute of Journalism in 2017. She joined the team in 2021.
