Reports on April Fool’s Day of the death of the world’s oldest living land animal — a 193-year-old tortoise named Jonathan — were greatly exaggerated. Jonathan is still kicking — albeit slowly — on the island of St. Helena. “It was a hoax,” said Anne Dillon, Head of Communications on the island. “I can assure you that he’s very much alive.” News of the Seychelles giant tortoise’s demise spread rapidly on social media, with an account on X falsely claiming to be by Joe Hollins, a veterinarian who had worked with the reptile on the island. The post said that Hollins was heartbroken to announce the death of the “gentle giant that outlived empires, wars, and generations of humans." The post quickly accumulated nearly 2 million views through Thursday, mostly an outpouring of condolences. However, Hollins later said on Facebook that he didn’t even have an X account and that something more sinister was afoot. “The hoaxer is asking for crypto donations. It’s a con,” posted Hollins. Guinness World Records lists Jonathan as the oldest living land animal and the oldest tortoise ever. He was believed to be about 50 years old when he was brought to St. Helena in 1882. The St. Helena government sent a photo of Jonathan taken Thursday of him roaming the grounds of the governor’s residence on the island best known as the place Napoleon Bonaparte was exiled following his defeat by the British at Waterloo in 1815. It was the place where the former emperor of France died in 1821, about a decade before Jonathan is believed to have taken the first steps in what would become a very long life.
