A reportedly 255 yr-old tortoise

He is the only resident of the city most likely to have rubbed shoulders with the likes of Sirajuddullah, Lord Clive, Raja Rammohan Roy, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, or even the founder of the city, Job Charnock. And you have probably even met him.

Remember the tortoise that you saw at the Alipore Zoo when your parents took you out many summers ago? And, again, when you took your children out last winter?

While the zoo authorities have decided to declare one of its major attractions a ‘heritage tortoise’, they are yet to determine its true age. According to zoo records, the Aldabra Giant Tortoise is 255 years old. This claim, however, is contested by some of the older employees, who say it’s around 300 years old. “Our records show that the tortoise was born in 1750, but some have claimed that it was born in 1705. We are currently running scientific tests to determine its true age,” said a source.

Another source said that once its precise date of birth has been worked out, the zoo authorities would organise a formal christening ceremony and declare it “heritage”. “The tortoise is the only Giant Aldabra, the oldest animal in the country. It’s a witness to all the momentous events that changed the course of the city’s history,” he added.

Lord Clive reportedly brought the tortoise to Kolkata, and its first home was a private estate at Latbagan. It was shifted to the zoo a few years after it was established in 1875.

Animal conservationist Sunetro Ghosal said that large animals tend to live longer than smaller ones. The tortoise, however, is the only animal that lives longer than man, the longest living mammal.

“A 152-year-old giant tortoise in Mauritius would have lived for another century but for its accidental death. Even the commonly found Box Turtles and Snapping Turtles frequently reach the 50-year mark, with the longest living Box Turtle being 123 years old,” he said.

He added that the tortoise at Alipore Zoo belongs to the species found in the Galapagos Archipelago and the Aldabra Atoll in the Indian Ocean. “They have few natural enemies, and can weigh up to 270 kg.

Giant tortoises reach maturity when they are 30 years old. They mate during the rainy season. Scientists have estimated the age of some of these tortoises at 400 years, but these estimates are mostly speculations,” he said.

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Thats very cool and slightly humbling, to think that an animal has lived that long!

Thats very interesting! It's a little strange to think that that tortoise has been around for so long, though. It's weird to imagine what it's seen and where it's been in all of those years.