Scammers "buried" the world's oldest tortoise for money without a pair
Information about the "death" of the world's oldest land tortoise was untrue and part of a scam. It concerned a tortoise named Jonathan, who is about 193 years old and lives on the island of Saint Helena in the Atlantic Ocean, reports Euronews.
Illustrative image. Photo: AP
The day before, a message appeared on social networks about Jonathan's alleged death. It was published by a fake account pretending to be a veterinarian who supposedly worked with the tortoise. The publication quickly garnered millions of views and caused a wave of condolences from people around the world.
However, it later turned out to be a hoax. The real veterinarian had nothing to do with this "news," and scammers were behind the fake reports. They used this story to attract attention and try to collect money, including in cryptocurrency.
Representatives of Saint Helena island confirmed that Jonathan is alive and continues to live on the grounds of the Governor's residence. The information about his death was called a complete fake.
Jonathan is considered the oldest land animal in the world. He was even included in the Guinness Book of Records. It is known that he was born in the Seychelles around 1832, and the tortoise was brought to Saint Helena in 1882, when he was about 50 years old. Since then, Jonathan has become a local attraction.
Saint Helena island is known for being where the French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte spent his last years in exile. He died in 1821 — even before Jonathan took his first steps in life.
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