Gramma, a 141-year-old Galápagos tortoise, dies at the San Diego Zoo

by Caleb Lunetta

Gramma, an estimated 141-year-old Galápagos tortoise, died Thursday at the San Diego Zoo, ending a near century-long chapter of what the zoo said was quiet, yet constant ambassadorship to generations of zoo visitors.

The tortoise was among the first group of Galápagos tortoises to arrive in San Diego in 1928, and was the oldest living creature at the zoo at the time of her death, officials said Friday on social media. Legend has it her arrival was welcomed by the zoo’s founder, Harry Wegeforth.

The zoo said staff had been “closely monitoring her ongoing bone conditions related to advanced age.” The condition had recently progressed, so they made the “compassionate and exceptionally difficult decision” to euthanize her.

“It is astonishing to consider what Gramma lived through in her lifetime … as the world around her experienced more than 20 U.S. presidents, two World Wars and two pandemics,” zoo officials said.

She eventually became an icon to zoo staff and guests as she and her fellow tortoises became interwoven with the history of the Balboa Park institution.

A zoo visitor plays with a giant Galapagos tortoise named 'Grandma' who is estimated between 120 to 140 years old inside its enclosure at the San Diego Zoo, California on January 13, 2015. The tortoises are native to the Gala¡pagos Islands off South America and also the Aldabra Island in the Indian Ocean and are the largest species of tortoise. AFP PHOTO/MARK RALSTON (Photo credit should read MARK RALSTON/AFP via Getty Images) — A zoo visitor plays with a giant Galapagos tortoise named 'Grandma' inside its enclosure at the San Diego Zoo on Jan. 13, 2015. The tortoises are native to the Gala¡pagos Islands off South America and also the Aldabra Island in the Indian Ocean and are the largest species of tortoise. AFP PHOTO/MARK RALSTON

Although the life span of a Galápagos tortoise averages around 35 years, researchers estimate that Gramma was born in 1884.

Speed, another tortoise who joined Gramma at the zoo in 1933, died in 2015 at the estimated age of 150.

“Lovingly called ‘the Queen of the Zoo’ by her care specialists, Gramma observed the creation and evolution of the San Diego Zoo,” zoo officials said in a statement. “A sweet and shy tortoise, she quietly touched the lives of countless people over nearly a century in San Diego as an incredible ambassador for reptile conservation worldwide.”

To celebrate Gramma’s 140th birthday last year, zoo employees made a “birthday cake” of her favorite foods: romaine lettuce and cactus fruit. They filmed as the tortoise devoured her nutritional surprise that was topped with the number “140” carved out of watermelon rind.

They called it a privilege to care for an animal as long as they had.

“Gramma’s devoted care team shared that she particularly loved romaine lettuce and cactus fruit,” zoo officials said. “In her memory, we invite you to enjoy a generous, fruit-filled salad, a special tribute for a very special tortoise.”