A 141-Year-Old Tortoise Passes Away After Witnessing Two World Wars and 20 U.S. Presidents

[Financial News] Grandma, the iconic Galapagos tortoise at the San Diego Zoo, who was born in the 19th century and lived for more than a century, has died at the age of 141.
On the 26th (local time), multiple U.S. media outlets, including The New York Times (NYT) and National Public Radio (NPR), reported that the San Diego Zoo had euthanized Grandma, the Galapagos tortoise. The reason for the euthanasia was reportedly bone disease due to old age.
The tortoise, affectionately named Grandma, is believed to have been born on the Galapagos Islands in 1884, during the presidency of Chester Alan Arthur, the 21st president of the United States. At that time, Queen Victoria ruled the British Empire, and the Statue of Liberty had not yet been erected in New York.
After being transferred from the Galapagos Islands to the Bronx Zoo, Grandma arrived in San Diego around 1928, when she was over 40 years old, and spent the rest of her long life there. She lived through two world wars and witnessed the terms of more than 20 U.S. presidents.
Known as the 'great-grandmother' of the San Diego Zoo, Grandma was described as gentle and shy, earning her the nickname 'queen' of the zoo. The zoo stated, "Grandma passed away surrounded by the family of wildlife care specialists at the zoo."

The Galapagos tortoise, an endangered species, is a representative long-lived animal that can grow up to 1.8 meters (6 feet) in length and weigh about 180 kg.
Their secret to longevity lies in their ability to detoxify. Research suggests that Galapagos tortoises possess a physiological ability to cleanse their bodies of toxins that accumulate with aging.
Previously, a Galapagos tortoise named Harriet died at the age of 176 at a zoo in southeastern Queensland, Australia. The oldest living tortoise is Jonathan, a Seychelles giant tortoise residing on Saint Helena in the South Atlantic, who is now estimated to be over 190 years old.
bng@fnnews.com Kim Hee-sun Reporter