Did Jonathan the Tortoise Really Die or Was His Death Part of a Viral Crypto Scam on X?
If your heart sank when you scrolled past news that Jonathan the Tortoise had died, here’s the update you need: the beloved 194-year-old is perfectly fine, napping under a tree and living his best life on a remote island in the South Atlantic.
What started as some of the saddest news imaginable in the animal kingdom turned out to be nothing more than a scam — and the people who know and love Jonathan most were quick to set the record straight.
The Governor Went Looking for Him at Night
When Nigel Phillips, the governor of Saint Helena, heard the viral reports of Jonathan’s death, he was getting ready for bed. But he couldn’t just turn in for the night without checking on his most famous resident.
Phillips got up and went searching for Jonathan. He found the tortoise “very much alive” and “asleep under a tree in the paddock,” he told The Guardian.
If that image — a governor in the dark, searching for a centuries-old tortoise under a tree — doesn’t make you smile, nothing will.
Phillips then shared a statement on Jonathan’s behalf: “The report of my death was an exaggeration … Mark Twain, not Oscar Wilde. Jonathan would nonetheless have had the chance enjoy both their works in the original first editions.”
The Death Hoax Turned Out to Be a Crypto Scam
The hoax began on April 1 when a user on X, purporting to be Jonathan’s veterinarian Joe Hollins, announced that the tortoise had died at the age of 193.
“Heartbroken to share that our beloved Jonathan, the world’s oldest living land animal, has passed away today peacefully on Saint Helena,” the post read, per The Guardian.
The post was seen by at least two million people, according to The Guardian, and the news was subsequently picked up by various outlets, including USA Today, Daily Mail, Newsweek and The Guardian.
But the real Hollins took to his Facebook account to dispel the rumors.
“There is a hoax - not even an April Fool - going around in X with American spelling but using my name, saying Jonathan the Tortoise, the oldest living land animal, is dead. IT IS NOT TRUE,” he wrote.
“I believe on X the person purporting to be me is asking for crypto donations, so it’s not even an April Fool joke. It’s a con,” Hollins said in an interview with USA Today published April 1.
Jonathan the Tortoise’s Legacy Lives On
Now that we can all breathe again, let’s celebrate the remarkable creature at the center of all this fuss.
Jonathan is a Seychelles giant tortoise who lives on the grounds of the governor’s mansion on Saint Helena. He was brought to the island in 1882 as a gift to the governor and has lived there ever since.
His exact age is unknown, but the BBC estimates that he was 50 years old when he arrived — which would make him at least 194 years old.
The Guinness World Records dubbed him the “oldest-known living terrestrial animal” in 2019.
His daily life sounds like a dream: hand-fed bananas and basking in the sun on the grounds of a historic island mansion. Jonathan has outlived countless world events, dozens of governors and now — a viral death hoax.
He’s still here. Still napping under trees. Still unbothered. And the internet couldn’t be happier about it.
This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.
