His name is Jonathan, he’s a giant tortoise, and at 182 year old he’s believed to be the world’s oldest living land creature.
His name is Jonathan, he’s a giant tortoise, and at 182 years old he’s believed to be the world’s oldest living land creature.
He now lives on the island of St. Helena, but nobody’s really sure how he got there.
Plantation House has been his official address, and he shares it with the Governor of the British Overseas Territories in the South Atlantic.
Luckily for Jonathan, there’s a veterinarian on the island.
Over the years he’s developed blinding cataracts and has lost his sense of smell.
A bout with malnutrition rendered his beak soft, making his ability to get food even more difficult.
Now, weekly fruit and vegetable deliveries ensure he doesn’t succumb to that variety of health threat again.
All involved know that he will someday pass, but nobody wants it to happen while they’re in charge.
The governor has made Jonathan’s care and comfort a top priority and even tourists are forbidden to bother him.
Looking at him from a safe distance is allowed, but chasing him around to get pictures is strictly forbidden.
When his time does come, it’s already planned that his shell will be preserved and displayed.
