Jonathan, the world’s oldest turtle, is officially celebrating his 190th birthday

Jonathan became the world’s oldest turtle in 2022 and received the Guinness World Records award after turning 190.

It is claimed that he was born in 1832 based on photographic records, but it was only in November of this year that he was finally granted an official birthday.

Jonathan already had the record as the oldest living land animal in the world and now that she’s turned 190, she’s the longest-lived of all turtles, tortoises, and terrapins.

Jonathan’s birthday was declared as December 4, 1832 by British Overseas Territory Governor Nigel Phillips, The Guardian reported. It was celebrated with a three-day party at his home on the island of St. Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean, and damn, it’s a party we wish we were invited to.

The animal lives on the island of St. Helena, a British territory near the coast of Angola, and receives constant help from the vets who look after him. Since he is blind and has no sense of smell, your assistants should bring you food.

Jonathan is one of several giant tortoises that live on the grounds of Plantation House, the Governor’s residence. The official was the one who had several specialized carers to monitor her.

Since coexistence with other animals of its species is important for this turtle, Jonathan shares the house with three giants who are almost as long-lived and famous as him.

The four have a good relationship. One of the most popular is David, who is 82 years old. Although some have lost their sense of smell and are believed to be blind from cataracts, the four continue to move on their own.

For his almost two centuries of life, Jonathan has earned the status of a national symbol, although this is not official. Yes you can say that the local currency of Angola has the turtle on the face.

No one is really sure of his date of birth. However, Jonathan is believed to have been brought to the island at the age of 50, in 1882, which would make his birthdate 1832.

The age of the Chelonian it was calculated from a photo, a collection of images from the Boer War showing a tortoise close to a prisoner circa 1900. According to the Daily Mail, Jonathan is the same tortoise in the picture, making it the world’s oldest living animal. The presumed age was assigned in 2019 by the Guinness World Records book.

Years earlier, in 1880, it was protected and treated so that its health would not be impaired, so the giant of Santa Elena Island began to lead a more relaxed life from the South Atlantic.

a failed record

In recent days, an American couple tried to beat a strange Guinness Book of Records and failed. They wanted to celebrate the largest dog wedding in history and didn’t have enough guests.

The canine wedding ceremony, held in Villa Park, Illinois, was attended by 160 dogs (80 pairs, all mated between male and female, not one dog of the same sex as the other).

The effort was intended to break the Guinness World Record of 178 dog couples married on the same day set in 2007 in Littleton, Colorado, also in the United States.

Since they didn’t hit the guest count, they capitalized on the financial side: They raised $4,000 for 10 local animal groups as part of the Paws and Claws in the Park adoption event.