Queen of the Zoo': Gramma, tortoise who lived through two world wars, dies aged 141

"As the world changed around her, she delighted visitors with her sweet, shy personality. She lived through two world wars and 20 US presidents. Her care specialists affectionately called her the Queen of the Zoo. She was suffering from bone conditions related to her old age that progressed recently before she was euthanized, the zoo said. Many visitors commented on social media about getting to first visit Gramma when they were young, and being able to come back years later with their kids."

"Galapagos tortoises can live for over 100 years in the wild, and close to double that in captivity. The oldest known Galapagos tortoise was named Harriet, who lived at the Australia Zoo until the age of 175. She was collected from the Galapagos Islands in 1835, when she was just the size of a dinner plate, according to the zoo. This means that she hatched somewhere around 1830, and she died in 2006."

Gramma, a Galapagos tortoise estimated at about 141 years old, died on 20 November. She arrived at the San Diego Zoo from the Bronx Zoo in 1928 or 1931 as part of the zoo’s first Galapagos tortoise group. Gramma favored romaine lettuce and cactus fruit and was affectionately called the Queen of the Zoo. She lived through two world wars and 20 U.S. presidents. Gramma developed bone conditions related to advanced age and was euthanized after her condition worsened. Visitors remembered first meeting Gramma as children and returning later with their own children. Galapagos tortoises can live over 100 years in the wild and much longer in captivity; the longest-known individual, Harriet, reached 175. Fifteen subspecies exist; three are extinct and the rest are vulnerable or critically endangered.

Read at www.theguardian.com