Posted on 03/24/2006 9:45:05 AM PST by Main Street
CALCUTTA, India — One of the world's oldest creatures, a giant tortoise believed to have been about 250 years old, has died in the Calcutta zoo where it spent more than half its long life.
Addwaita, which means "the one and only" in the local Bengali language, was one of four Aldabra tortoises brought to India by British sailors in the 18th century.
Zoo officials say he was a gift for Lord Robert Clive of the East India Company, who was instrumental in establishing British colonial rule in India, before he returned to England in 1767.
Long after the other three tortoises died, Addwaita continued to thrive, living in Clive's garden before being moved to the zoo in 1875.
"According to records in the zoo, the age of the giant tortoise, Addwaita, who died on Wednesday, would be 250 years approximately," said zoo director Subir Chowdhury.
That would have made him much older than the world's oldest documented living animal: Harriet, a 176-year-old Galapagos tortoise who lives at the Australia Zoo north of Brisbane, according to the zoo's Web site. She was taken from the island of Isla Santa Cruz by Charles Darwin in the 19th century.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Dang! You guys live long!
Did he smoke?
Crusty old bugger bump
'Clive of India's' tortoise dies (Robert Clive's 250-year old tortoise dies)
BBC ^ | Thursday, 23 March 2006, 15:50 GMT | BBC
Posted on 03/23/2006 2:25:06 PM EST by CarrotAndStick
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A tortoise that once belonged to British colonial general Clive of India in the 18th Century has died in a zoo in Calcutta. Adwaita, "the only one" in Bengali, was found dead by keepers in Alipore Zoo on Wednesday. His shell cracked some months ago and a wound had developed. West Bengal officials said records showed Adwaita was at least 150 years old but other evidence pointed to 250. The shell of Adwaita, an Aldabra tortoise, will now be carbon-dated. Forestry minister in the West Bengal government, Jogesh Barman said: "Historical records show he was a pet of British general Robert Clive of the East India Company and had spent several years in his sprawling estate before he was brought to the zoo about 130 years ago." Mr Barman said Adwaita was probably brought from the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean and presented to Clive, an increasing force in the East India Company's military hierarchy. Shell preserved
Aldabra tortoises are found in the four-island Aldabra atoll of the Seychelles, a UN World Heritage Site that now has about 152,000 giant tortoises. They average about 120kg (265lbs) and are thought the longest-lived of all animals. The BBC's Amitabha Bhattasali in Calcutta says Adwaita brought in many of the zoo's visitors and when he fell sick for the first time eight years ago with a leg infection a full medical board was instigated to treat him. The director of the zoo, Subir Chowdhury, said Adwaita's shell would be preserved and kept there. One zookeeper told the Reuters news agency: "This is a sad day for us. We will miss him very much." Lord Clive, the son of a Shropshire squire, became a soldier and adventurer who rose through the East India Company. He won the key Battle of Plassey against the Nawab of Bengal in 1757. Lord Clive later became an opium addict and committed suicide in 1774 at the age of 49.
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He outlived, what, 38 Presidents? Not too bad.
But did the tortoise interview 38 presidents? Feh! But who could make such a claim?
"So we tanned his shell, when he died Clive, and that's it hanging on the shed?" LOL!
Intresting story. Any ideas why some tortises live for so doggone long?
Probably has something to do with living so doggone slow.
Let's see if our country makes it to 250 years.
Sad... Helen Thomas raised it from an infant...
"His shell cracked some months ago and a wound had developed."
They don't use computers?
The cracking could be age related too, eh?
How would a prized, slow-moving tortoise on flat terrain crack its shell otherwise?
Will Churchill's parrot represent the UK at the funeral?
Sad.
I hate you.
Maybe that's why they move so slow. If your going to live for 250 years then there's no need to hurry. Stress kills.
Well, at least that turtle lived a full life.
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