Has the world's oldest tortoise, Jonathan, died? 193-year-old's vet calls out ‘hoax’, claims hoaxer is asking for crypto

The word is that the world's oldest known tortoise, Jonathan, is dead. However, his caretaker has dismissed the claims, calling them a “hoax”.

According to media reports, citing Joe Hollins' X social media, Jonathan, who is believed to be over 193 years old, had died.

“Heartbroken to share that our beloved Jonathan, the world's oldest living land animal, has passed away today peacefully on St Helena,” the post said. “This gentle giant outlived empires, wars, and generations of humans.”

However, Robert Midgley, Spokesperson at British Overseas, called out the social media post, saying that Jonathan was alive and the verified X account was not the real Joe Hollins' account.

“We've been in touch with Joe (who isn't actually on X) and has confirmed Jonathan is alive and well. This account is fake, please ignore,” Midglet said.

Soon after, in a separate post, the X handle confirmed that Jonathan was still alive. “Yes, he's still alive. Did anyone send crypto? Yes, @oldestanimal. He's been passionate about Jonathan for over a year,” said the person impersonating Hollins. “This was just an April fools prank.”

What did the real Joe Hollins say?

Joe Hollins, a vet who has been caring for Jonathan for a long-time, shared the screengrab of the X post attributed to him and said it was a hoax.

“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,” he said. “IT IS NOT TRUE.”

Hollins also claimed that the hoaxer was asking for crypto donations. “It’s a con.”

He urged his followers to “please forward” his post because the fake news had spread. “Even our researcher friends in the US, unravelling his DNA, have just sent condolences,” Hollins said while pressing the concern.

About Jonathan, the tortoise

Jonathan is thought to have hatched around the year 1832, said Hollins. He holds the title of the oldest living land animal on Earth, according to Guinness World Records.

Jonathan, a Seychelles giant tortoise (Aldabrachelys gigantea), lives on remote South Atlantic island og Saint Helena, Britain. He first arrived on St Helena in 1882 as a gift from the Seychelles. Since then, he has lived on the grounds of the governor’s residence at Plantation House.

The tortoise, who has spent most of his life in St Helena, was first photographed in 1839, according to media reports. He has met Queen Elizabeth II, as well as the Duke of Edinburgh and House of Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle.

In a photograph taken in 1882, Jonathan can be seen as a fully grown tortoise when he was first brought to the island. Experts say that he was about 50 years old by that time.

Jonathan lived through the reigns of eight British monarchs and met both George VI and the future Elizabeth II during their visit to the island in 1947.

The giant tortoise met Sir Lindsay in 2024, when he was presented with a Guinness World Record certificate recognising him as the oldest known land animal in the world.

At the time, Hollins said that although Jonathan had lost his sense of smell and his sight, he still appeared to be very happy and healthy.