Royal turtle: World’s second-oldest animal dies in Cairo at age 270

Friday, 26 April 2013

Egypt’s royal turtle was allegedly the world’s second oldest animal. (Arabiya.net)

Al Arabiya  

 

A turtle considered to be the world’s second-oldest animal has died in Egypt’s Giza Zoo aged 270, a local newspaper reported Thursday.

King Farouk, who became ruler of Egypt in 1936, dedicated the ancient turtle to the zoo, reported Youm 7.

Its death has stirred reactions from Twitter users, who have added a political twist.

The turtle survived the eras of “Farouk, [Gamal Abdel] Nasser, [Anwar] Sadat and [Hosni] Mubarak, but couldn’t stand [Mohamed] Mursi’s reign,” one Twitter user said, referring to presidents who ruled Egypt before Mursi.

Giza Zoo was established in 1891, and is considered to be the biggest in the Middle East and Africa.

The royal turtle was considered the second oldest animal on earth after the “Adwaita” turtle in Calcutta, India, according to Youm 7.