San Diego Zoo’s oldest resident, a Galapagos tortoise believed to be about 141, dies

The San Diego Zoo's oldest resident has died, guaranteed to outlive everyone who ever cared for her.

The Galapagos tortoise, Gramma, was born in her natural habitat and was estimated to be about 141 years old at the time of her death, the zoo said. She died on Thursday.

It is unknown when exactly the tortoise arrived at the San Diego Zoo, but zoo officials said it arrived from the Bronx Zoo in either 1928 or 1931 as part of the first group of Galapagos tortoises.

The world around her was changing and she delighted visitors with her sweet and shy personality. She has survived two world wars and 20 US presidents.

“Queen of the Zoo”

Her caregivers affectionately called her the “Queen of the Zoo.” The zoo said she was suffering from bone diseases related to her old age, which progressed shortly before she was euthanized.

Many visitors wrote on social networks that they were able to visit Gramma for the first time when they were little, and return here years later with their children.

Christina Park, 69, said one of her earliest childhood memories was going to the San Diego Zoo when she was three or four years old and riding on the back of a turtle. It's no longer allowed, but the experience inspired her to get a small desert tortoise as a pet and learn more about turtle conservation.

“It’s just amazing that they survived so much,” Park said. “And yet they are still there.”

Back from the brink of extinction

Galapagos tortoises include 15 subspecies of tortoises from the islands, three of which were thought to be extinct. All others are vulnerable or endangered, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

According to the Galapagos Islands Conservancy, there has been a concerted effort to breed these tortoises in captivity over the past several decades, with more than 10,000 juveniles released into the wild since 1965. Some subspecies have been brought back from the brink of extinction.

In April, four Galapagos tortoise hatchlings were born at the Philadelphia Zoo to first-time parents who were about 100 years old, a first in the zoo's history. In June, Zoo Miami resident and Galapagos tortoise Goliath became a father for the first time at age 135.

Galapagos tortoises can live more than 100 years in the wild, and almost twice as long in captivity.

The oldest known Galapagos tortoise was named Harriet, who lived at the Australia Zoo until she was 175 years old. It was captured in the Galapagos Islands in 1835 when it was the size of a dinner plate, according to the zoo.

This means that she hatched sometime around 1830 and died in 2006.

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