100-plus-year-old tortoise with ‘warm, engaging nature’ dies at Missouri zoo
Zookeepers and guests are mourning a beloved, sociable tortoise who lived for well over 100 years before dying at the St. Louis Zoo.
Zoo officials said in a Facebook post that Othello the Aldabra giant tortoise was euthanized April 8 because of a gastrointestinal issue. He and another tortoise, Ray, arrived in the United States in 1938, already full-grown adults, then came to the zoo in 2004. His exact age was unknown.
“He had a warm, engaging nature and regularly sought out interactions with people,” the zoo said. “Othello was a guest favorite during our public tortoise tours, often delighting visitors by eagerly accepting carrots—one of his favorite treats.”
Othello served as an ambassador for his species, which only lives on the Aldabra atoll in Seychelles, the zoo said. Aldabra giant tortoises are considered a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species because of their limited habitat.
“His long life and presence in human care helped to raise awareness about the conservation needs of his species and the unique ecosystem that these tortoises inhabit,” the zoo said.
In a 2022 article from the Belleville News-Democrat, zoological manager of herpetology Justin Elden said Othello and Ray were friendly toward keepers and zoo guests alike, including kids. During the zoo’s Tour de Tortoise guest experiences, he’d approach guests and extend his neck for pets.
“They’re very used to people, and one thing that they’ll do is they’ll actually come towards keeper staff and also people who are here interviewing us to try to get pets and rubs and whatnot,” Elden told the outlet.
The zoo’s statement about his death said Othello helped raise awareness about his species, one of the last giant tortoise species on earth.
“He was a beautiful, old soul who reached millions of people, and he will be missed terribly,” the zoo said.
