I wish you longevity!

Giant tortoise dies after a long, long life
Thu, 23 Mar 2006
www.cbc.ca

A giant tortoise, thought to be more than 250 years old, has died of liver failure in Calcutta, India.

Named Addwaitya, which means the One and Only in Bengali, he had a long and storied history that goes back to the early days of the British colonial empire.

Historical records show the giant tortoise was caught by British sailors in the Seychelles.

Historical records show he was caught by British sailors in the Seychelles Islands and carried to India where he was presented to Robert Clive, a rising star in the British East-India company. West Bengal Forest Minister Jogesh Barman said he spent many years on Clive's estate before he retired to the local zoo in Calcutta about 130 years ago.

It's not certain exactly how old Addwaitya was when he died, but written records of his life go back more than 100 years.

"We have documents to prove that he was more than 150 years old, but we have pieced together other evidence like statements from authentic sources and it seems that he is more than 250 years old," Barman said.

The giant tortoise was a favourite of the Calcutta zookeepers. "This is a sad day for us. We will miss him very much," one keeper told Reuters.

Aldabra tortoises are found on Aldabra island in the Seychelles, in the Indian Ocean. They average about 120 kg and can live more than 100 years.