ADMIRAL the tortoise, who has lived through various historic events and has two wives to boast about, is making headlines himself.
The old man of the Mitchell Park Zoo turned 120 on Heritage Day and his well-wishers, young and old, attended to celebrate with cake and fun activities.
At 300kg, Admiral, the oldest tortoise in South Africa, enjoyed the limelight as he sauntered around an enclosure.
Among the guests were Melissa Abraham, 30, and her fiancé Cameron Naidu, 36, of Tiger Agriculture; an online platform that plants and sells seedlings to promote development in South Africa.
They donated fruit, vegetables and bird food to the zoo for the celebrations, which means Admiral and all his friends will have a lot more to munch on.
Abraham said Admiral had witnessed historic events from world wars and the rise and fall of apartheid, to visits from the British Royal family; so it was apt to honour him.
“As the zoo enters a new era of reinvigoration and public participation, it’s an apt time to reflect on our shared history and celebrate that Admiral is with us to enjoy this bright future. We have this opportunity to be a part of this wonderful historic moment,” said Abraham.
She said she and Naidu, a team leader at Tiger Agriculture, decided to contribute to the zoo as part of a charity initiative.
“We also did this because we had a rabbit named Nunuz Abraham but we sadly lost him last year, so this is in memory of him.”
Taryn Bristow, the co-ordinator of Umgeni Bird Park and Mitchell Park Zoo, said Admiral was dropped off at the zoo by an admiral, who went out to war in 1915 and he never returned.
“We assume that Admiral was already around 11 years old, hence today (Tuesday) we celebrate his 120th birthday,” said Bristow.
She said Admiral was an Aldabra giant seashell tortoise and was the oldest member of the zoo and the oldest in the country.
“He is a very chilled fellow and spends most of his time wandering around, eating grass and swimming in his pond. Being 120, that is still young for a tortoise as they can grow to over 200 years old. He weighs roughly 300kg and it takes about six full grown men to lift him. Admiral loves eating fruit and vegetables and he sometimes has a bit of meat."
She added that he does not have any offspring as he was the only male of his species that they have at the zoo, so there was no competition for him.
“Admiral has two wives that live with him but unfortunately we think they have become too comfortable with each other. We need two more males, so that there is competition for him but sadly, they are too expensive to purchase. Being 120 is still young, so Admiral could very well produce offspring if a female allows.”
Bristow added that they were grateful to Abraham and Naidu for sponsoring fruit and vegetables for the animals.