The Portuguese dog ‘Bobi’, who was listed in the Guinness World Records (GWR) as the ‘oldest dog of all time’ at the age of 31 years and 165 days, was eventually stripped of his status as the ‘world’s oldest dog’ after suspicions that his age had been falsified.
According to the British daily Guardian on the 22nd (local time), the Guinness Book of World Records issued a statement on this day, saying, “We have concluded that there is no evidence to substantiate the dog owner’s claim that Bobby is the oldest dog,” and added, “Bobby’s record-holder status cannot be maintained.” “There is none,” he said.
In February of last year, Guinness recognized Bobby at the age of 30 years and 266 days, declaring him the oldest living dog and the oldest dog of all time. Bobby passed away on October 21 last year, about eight months later, and was recorded to have lived 31 years and 165 days.
However, related academic circles continued to argue that clear verification was needed. Bobi is a breed of ‘Hapeiro do Alentejo’, a large Portuguese herding dog. The average life expectancy of this breed is 12 to 14 years.
Guinness explained at the time that Bobby was born on May 11, 1992, and his age was confirmed by the Portuguese Certified Pet Database (SIAC), managed by the Portuguese National Veterinary Association and approved by the Portuguese government. However, the records only need to be reported without any inspection or certification.
After some veterinarians raised questions about Bobby’s age, Guinness last month temporarily suspended the application of Bobby’s titles as the oldest living dog and the oldest dog of all time and began an official reinvestigation.
The fact that Bobby’s feet were white in the 1999 photo, but brown in the more recent photos also raised suspicions. Danny Chambers, a veterinarian at the Royal Veterinary College in the UK, told the Guardian, “Among my fellow scholars, no one really believes that Bobby lived to be 31,” adding, “That would be like claiming that a human lived to be over 200 years old.”
In response to the controversy, Bobby’s partner, Leunel Costa, refuted the claim by saying, “Bobby met all the requirements requested by Guinness,” but it is known that the genetic test only confirmed that Bobby was older and did not accurately specify his age.
Song Chi-hoon,
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.