141-Year-Old Galapagos Tortoise "Gramma" Dies at San Diego Zoo: A Century-Long Legacy of Conservation

Gramma, who lived through two World Wars and 20 US presidents, has passed away. (File)

Los Angeles:

The San Diego Zoo's oldest resident, a beloved Galápagos tortoise named Gramma who enjoyed feasting on romaine lettuce and cactus fruit for over a century, has passed away.

Zoo officials reported that Gramma, born in her natural habitat and estimated to be approximately 141 years old, died on November 20.

The exact date of Gramma's arrival at the San Diego Zoo remains uncertain, but according to zoo officials, she was transferred from the Bronx Zoo either in 1928 or 1931 as part of their initial group of Galápagos tortoises.

Throughout the decades as the world transformed around her, she charmed visitors with her gentle, timid personality. Her lifespan encompassed both World Wars and the administrations of 20 US presidents.

Her caretakers fondly referred to her as "the Queen of the Zoo." She had been suffering from age-related bone conditions that worsened recently before the decision was made to euthanize her, according to the zoo.

Many visitors shared on social media about their experiences of first meeting Gramma during their childhood and later returning with their own children.

Cristina Park, 69, recalled one of her earliest memories from when she was 3 or 4 years old, visiting the San Diego Zoo and riding on a tortoise's back. Although this practice is no longer permitted, the experience inspired her to keep a small desert tortoise as a pet and develop an interest in tortoise conservation.

"Just how amazing it is that they managed to live through so much," Park remarked. "And yet they're still there."

In the wild, Galapagos tortoises can survive for over 100 years, and nearly twice that in captivity.

The longest-lived known Galapagos tortoise was Harriet, who resided at the Australia Zoo until reaching 175 years of age. She was collected from the Galapagos Islands in 1835, when she was merely the size of a dinner plate, as reported by the zoo. This indicates she hatched around 1830, and she passed away in 2006.

Galápagos tortoises comprise 15 subspecies from the islands, with three considered extinct. The remaining subspecies are all classified as vulnerable or critically endangered, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Significant efforts have been made to breed these tortoises in captivity over recent decades, resulting in more than 10,000 juveniles being released into the wild since 1965, as reported by the Galápagos Conservancy. Some subspecies have been rescued from the edge of extinction.

In April, the Philadelphia Zoo celebrated the birth of four baby Galápagos tortoises to first-time parents approximately 100 years old, a first in the zoo's history. In June, Zoo Miami resident and Galápagos tortoise Goliath became a father for the first time at the age of 135.