The Passing of Gramma, San Diego Zoo's Longest-Lived Galápagos Tortoise

After spending over a hundred years enjoying her favorite meals of romaine lettuce and cactus fruit, Gramma, a cherished Galápagos tortoise and the San Diego Zoo’s oldest inhabitant, has passed away.

According to zoo officials, Gramma, originally from her natural environment, was about 141 years old at the time of her passing on November 20.

The exact timing of her arrival at the zoo remains uncertain, yet it is believed she was transferred from the Bronx Zoo either in 1928 or 1931, joining the initial group of Galápagos tortoises.

Throughout her long life, as the world transformed, Gramma charmed countless visitors with her gentle and timid demeanor, living through two world wars, the terms of 20 U.S. presidents, and two global pandemics.

Her caretakers fondly referred to her as "the Queen of the Zoo." Gramma recently experienced aggravated bone ailments due to her advanced age, leading to her being humanely euthanized.

The zoo expressed that looking after such an extraordinary tortoise was an honor.

Numerous past visitors shared on social media about their early experiences meeting Gramma and later visiting her again with their own children.

Cristina Park, now 69, recounted her early childhood memories of riding a tortoise at the zoo at the age of 3 or 4, a practice no longer permitted, which led to her lifelong fascination with tortoise conservation.

Galápagos tortoises are known to surpass a century in age in natural settings, often living close to twice as long under human care.

The most aged Galápagos tortoise on record, Harriet, lived at the Australia Zoo till she was 175 years old. She was collected from the Galápagos Islands in 1835, having hatched around 1830, and passed away in 2006.

The Galápagos tortoise species consists of 15 subspecies, of which three are extinct, while the rest face threats of being vulnerable or critically endangered, per the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Significant efforts in breeding these tortoises in captivity have been ongoing for several decades. Over 10,000 young tortoises have been released into the wild since 1965, as per the Galápagos Conservancy, and some subspecies have been rescued from near extinction.