Jonathan, a 194-year-old giant tortoise from the Seychelles and the planet’s oldest known living land creature, is alive and well, contrary to a widespread online rumor. He continues his famously slow-paced life on the remote island of St. Helena.
“It was a complete fabrication,” said Anne Dillon, the island’s head of communications, in a statement to the Associated Press(AP). “I can assure you he’s perfectly fine,” reports AP from Saint Helena.
The false news spread rapidly across social media on Wednesday, triggering an outpouring of grief for the elderly reptile.
A profile on X, falsely attributed to Joe Hollins, a veterinarian who once treated Jonathan, announced with feigned heartbreak that the “gentle giant” had died, claiming he “outlasted empires, wars, and countless human generations.” By Thursday, the post had been viewed nearly two million times, with most users offering condolences.
But Hollins quickly debunked the claim on Facebook, saying he has no X account and that the post was part of a deceptive scheme. “This is a hoax, not even an April Fools’ prank,” he wrote. “The person behind it is soliciting cryptocurrency donations. It’s a con.”
Jonathan was brought to St. Helena in 1882 from the Seychelles as a present for the island’s British governor. He was already fully grown at the time, roughly 50 years old. No famous individual transported him; instead, he arrived as part of a colonial-era exchange involving British officials in the Seychelles and Mauritius.
Today, Jonathan remains a living emblem of endurance, still kicking, on his island home.
