Jonathan the giant tortoise is now in his 194th year and is the world’s oldest land animal – born when Queen Victoria was the British throne.
But he has now lived long enough to fall victim to a crypto currency scam.
News outlets including the BBC, Daily Mail and USA Today falsely reported his death after an X account posing as Jonathan’s vet broke the news – in an attempt to solicit money from animal lovers for memorial donations.
The post, attributed to ‘Joe Hollins’, which is the real name of a vet who looked after the tortoise, claimed: ‘Heartbroken to share that our beloved Jonathan, the world’s oldest living land animal, has passed away today peacefully on Saint Helena.
‘As his vet for many years, it was an honour to care for him – hand-feeding bananas, watching him bask in the sun and marvelling at his quiet wisdom. He leaves behind a legacy of resilience and longevity that inspired millions. Rest easy, old friend. You’ll be missed more than words can say.’
Though the post received two million views and was reported as fact by the UK’s national broadcaster, checks by Britain’s Guardian revealed the account was based in Brazil.
The real vet, who does not use X, said: ‘Jonathan the tortoise is very much alive. I believe on X the person purporting to be me is asking for crypto donations, so it’s not even an April fool joke. It’s a con.’
The impostor was asking for crypto currency donations at the time the BBC published – and later retracted – its report.
Jonathan, a Seychelles giant tortoise which is a species classified as ‘vulnerable’ on the endangered list, is the world’s oldest known land animal. He has lived on the grounds of the governor’s mansion on Saint Helena, since 1882, when he arrived as a gift to the South Atlantic island of St Helena.
A photograph taken then shows that he was fully grown when he was first brought to the island – where he lived on the grounds of Plantation House, the official residence of the Governor of St Helena.
Jonathan has lived through the reigns of eight British monarchs and met both George VI and the future Elizabeth II during their visit to the island in 1947. He has also been alive through the administrations of 37 US presidents.
The giant tortoise was presented with a Guinness World Record certificate recognising him as the oldest known land animal in the world.
Nigel Phillips, Governor of the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, said he was getting ready for bed when he was inundated with anxious messages.
He got up and searched the grounds to check on the tortoise. ‘Jonathan is asleep under a tree in the paddock,’ he told the Guardian, adding that the animal was ‘very much alive’.
Phillips joked that Jonathan had issued a press statement: ‘The report of my death was an exaggeration … Mark Twain, not Oscar Wilde. Jonathan would nonetheless have had the chance enjoy both their works in the original first editions.’
Despite being blind from cataracts and having lost his sense of smell, Jonathan remains hale and hearty with a strong appetite for bananas.
The governor’s team trudged out into the rain to take a picture of the sleepy-looking tortoise, who had just woken up from an 11-hour slumber. The twice-weekly local paper would not be out until later that day, so in lieu of that they posed the tortoise with an iPad showing the BBC homepage as ‘proof of life’.
Phillips spoke about the tortoise’s long life saying: ‘Jonathan’s day is mostly spent grazing on grass. One day a week he is fed fruit, veg and salad to ensure he gets essential minerals. He has a sweet tooth. Tourists occasionally come to view him, but that is carefully managed to ensure the animals are not stressed.
‘Beyond that, there really is not much more to say about his daily routine. Perhaps the simplicity is the key to his longevity.’
