LifestyleGuinness World Records

Vet shares how he pulled oldest animal Jonathan the tortoise back from the brink of death

The vet who saved Jonathan the tortoise, the world's oldest living land animal, has shared the story of nursing him back to health from near death.

Joe Hollins, the former vet of oldest living land animal Jonathan the tortoise, has shared tales of their time together.

The Long Sip
What happened

Former vet Joe Hollins revealed how he rescued Jonathan the tortoise, then around 180 years old, from the brink of death on the island of St Helena.

The detail

Jonathan's beak had crumbled so badly he could not graze, so Hollins began hand-feeding him and within a year or two the beak had regrown sharp and strong.

And then

Jonathan's health recovered so well that his libido returned, though he later nearly died again after being flipped onto his back by a female tortoise during mating.

Full story at Guinness World Records

What readers are saying

Kirso
Such a remarkable turnaround. I'm curious though - how did Joe figure out the beak issue was stopping Jonathan from grazing? Was it something he'd seen in other tortoise cases?
AirliebeacJenny
The detail about the welder's gloves is brilliant - it shows how hands-on the care really is. Once his beak regrew and he could graze normally, they still needed to hand-feed him bananas, which means constant management even after recovery. That's a proper long-term commitment to an animal. 🌊
maya1985
The moment when Emma flipped Jonathan onto his back and he nearly died is striking because it shows how vulnerable he remains despite his size and age. Without intervention at exactly the right moment, 194 years of survival would have ended in seconds.
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