For a few hours the world thought it had lost Jonathan, the giant tortoise considered the longest living land animal. A post published on social media, falsely attributed to veterinarian Joe Hollins, announced the death of the iconic specimen on the island of St. Helena.
The news spread quickly, also relaunched by international media before the official denial arrived. In reality, Jonathan is alive and well and the announcement turned out to be a hoax built to obtain cryptocurrency donations.
Heartbroken to share that our beloved Jonathan, the world’s oldest living land animal, has passed away today peacefully on St. Helena. At an estimated 193+ years old, this gentle giant outlived empires, wars, and generations of humans.
As his vet for many years, it was an honor…
— Joe Hollins Vet St. Helena Island (@JoeHollinsVet) April 1, 2026
The fake vet and the race to prove it wrong
The message, which appeared on X, claimed that the turtle had died “peacefully” at almost 194 years old. But the real Joe Hollins quickly clarified that the account was fake and that Jonathan was fine. According to what emerged, the profile also asked for donations in cryptocurrency, transforming what might have seemed like an April 1st prank into a real scam attempt.
The denial also came quickly from official sources on the island and from those who deal with the animal on a daily basis. Within a few hours, the newspapers that had relaunched the news updated their articles, confirming that the death was completely invented.
A celebrity of almost two centuries
Jonathan lives in the gardens of Plantation House, residence of the governor of St. Helena, and is considered the oldest known living land animal. There is no precise date of birth, but a photograph from 1882 shows him as an adult, suggesting that he was at least 50 years old when he arrived on the island. This places his birth around 1832, making him a living witness to nearly two centuries of history. Over the course of his very long life he passed through eight British monarchs and even met George VI and the future Elizabeth II during their visit in 1947.
Jonathan the tortoise is the world’s oldest living animal and is celebrating his 191st birthday
He lives on the remote island of St. Helena in the Atlantic Ocean and has been photographed on the island since 1882. pic.twitter.com/XCltA6XZbJ
— Guinness World Records (@GWR) November 30, 2023
A long, slow and spotlighted life
The giant Seychelles turtle, weighing around 200 kilograms, has over time become a true global icon. He lives together with other specimens and receives constant care, especially because with age he has largely lost his sight and sense of smell, although he maintains good hearing. Despite the difficulties, Jonathan continues to move slowly through the lawns of the residence, attracting visitors and curious people from all over the world.
A joke in bad taste
The false news sparked outrage precisely because it involved the death of a living being, transformed into viral content. Not a simple April Fool’s joke, but misinformation that has deceived even authoritative newspapers. A story that once again demonstrates how quickly unverified news can spread and how important it is to check sources before relaunching sensitive announcements.
Jonathan, meanwhile, continues his slow and silent life on St. Helena. And while the world breathed a sigh of relief, the most famous turtle on the planet was simply there, alive, as always, to deny with his presence a piece of news that should never have existed.
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