MONITORING DESKy
ISLAMABAD: The Birthday of the world’s oldest living animal, a giant tortoise from Seychelles African country named ‘Jonathan,’ is being celebrated in St. Helena, a South Atlantic island.
Jonathan is turning 190 years old, and the governor’s house of St. Helena Island, where Jonathan tortoise has spent most of his life, is marking the tortoise’s birthday occasion.
Due to the birthday celebration of Jonathan, the governor’s house is open to the public for three days so that the tortoise can receive birthday wishes due to this “historic milestone.”
Officials of St. Helena, which is a British territory, have also made a series of commemorative postal stamps.
Birth Records of Tortoise Jonathan
While there is no real record of Tortoise birth date, the estimated date of his birth year is viewed as around 1832.
Jonathan tortoise shifted to St. Helena Island from the Indian Ocean country Seychelles in the year 1882 as a gift to Sir William Wilson, who later became governor of St. Helena British overseas territory.
The estimated age of Jonathan is calculated to be around 200 years, as per St. Helena’s tourism head Matt Joshua.
Guinness World Records states that Jonathan is also the oldest ever chelonian animal. The chelonian category includes all terrapins, turtles, and tortoises.
The predecessor of Jonathan was Tu’i Malila, a Chelonian tortoise, who lived for at least 188 years.
Tui Malila was presented as a gift to the royal family of Tonga by British Royal Navy Captain James Cook, who was a traveler and explorer around the year 1777.
Tu’i Malila died in the year 1965 due to natural causes.
Life of World Oldest Jonathan Tortoise
On the British island of St. Helena, Tortoise has been living and enjoying his life as a celebrity. The elderly chelonian animal is living in St. Helena, along with three other giant tortoises, which are named Emma, Fred, and David.
The world’s oldest tortoise is facing the impacts of older age, as Jonathan is blind and has lost his smelling capability, but his hearing is excellent at this age.
Guinness World Records states that the tortoise responds well to the voice of his doctor, even though some of his senses are now facing failure.
Jonathan’s veterinarian Joe Hollins told Guinness World Records that the tortoise still has plenty of energy.
Hollins said that the animal usually takes a sunbath on mild days as his long neck and legs stretch completely out of his shell, and in this way, Jonathan absorbs and transfers heat to his body. Jonathan prefers to dig himself into a leaf mold in colder weather and remain in this way the whole day.
