Thursday, April 17, 2025

Bless: This Is The World’s Oldest Living Land Creature

Imagine having lived through over 100 years of events; having seen some of the most incredible things happen on this earth. Now imagine not being able to tell your story.

I get excited when I talk to my gran, who is 86, and she tells me wonderful stories about when she was growing up and how cheap it was to go to the cinema and how you could, once upon a time, smoke on airplanes.

This guy is why I wish animals could talk.

Jonathan is 183 years old. He lives on St Helena Island in the South Atlantic (yes, that one off the west coast of Africa) and he is thought to have been born in 1832. That means he has seen a whole lot. Just imagine if he could tell us everything. He is also thought to be the oldest land creature roaming the planet.

Here is Jono during the Boer War, for example.

He is also on the island’s 5p coin:

He lives in the gardens at Plantation House, the British governor’s residence, and is fed salad every day by Jonathan Hollins, the island’s senior veterinary officer.

Well played, old boy.

[Source: The Telegraph]