World's Oldest Tortoise Gets First Bath After 184 Years

By Rhodi Lee, 

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Jonathan the giant tortoise has finally taken his first bath. Nearly two centuries worth of dirt was removed from the world's oldest living land animal in preparation for an anticipated Royal visit to the British territory of St. Helena.(Photo : David Stanley)

The world's oldest living land animal 
may have been through periods in time 
that many humans have only read in the
 history books but the creature has been 
deprived of one thing that many of us do 
regularly, take a bath.

Fortunately, after 184 years of its existence, 
Jonathan the giant tortoise has finally gotten 
his first bath. The tortoise, which currently 
lives and is considered a national treasure 
on the British territory of St. Helena in 
the Atlantic, received scrubbing from 
Joe Hollins, a local veterinarian.

Hollins said that the purpose of giving 
Jonathan a bath was for aesthetic reason.
 The cleaning of Jonathan's nearly two centuries 
worth of dirt was also made ahead of an 
anticipated Royal visit. A member of the
 Royal family is expected to visit the small island 
this coming May for the dedication of a new airport.

To protect the creature's shell, the veterinarian 
used loofah, soft brush and a surgical soap. 
Surgical soap is not caustic while the 
gently-used loofah and soft brushes would not 
cause damage to the shell.

Hollins said that despite the tortoise's age, 
he thinks that it was the animal's first bath. It also appears that the cleanup gave the 
Jonathan a wonderful experience.

"In the past Jonathan's keepers had a rather laissez faire attitude to the tortoises on St Helena 
and so this is probably his first wash in 184 years," Hollins said. "I don't know whether that 
was the vibrations he found soothing or he was thinking 'At last, I've had my first bath!'.

The veterinarian said that he hopes it would not take more than a hundred years before
 the tortoise will have its next bath again.

Eight British monarchs have been crowned during Jonathan's lifetime. The animal 
has also seen 28 British governors come and go during its time on the St. Helena island.

Giant tortoises are often expected to live until 150 years old. Jonathan is nearly 
two centuries old but many hope that he will still have more years ahead as 
he was switched to a more nutritious diet consists of carrots, apples, bananas, cucumber 
and guava last year.

"I changed his diet and started to give him a mixed bowl of fruit and vegetables like 
apples, carrots, lettuce, guavas and bananas which are very high in calories," Hollins
 has said about Jonathan's new diet.

"Since then his life has been transformed. He has put on weight and is a lot more 
active and is walking more than he used to."