One of the oldest animals being cared for at the Saint Louis Zoo in Missouri has died due to a digestive health issue.
The creature was identified as Othello, an Aldabra giant tortoise, who was estimated to be over 100 years old, WTSP reported on Thursday.
In a social media post the zoo said he was humanely euthanized due to failing health regarding a gastrointestinal problem.
“While we don’t know his exact age, Othello was thought to be one of the oldest animals at the Saint Louis Zoo. Othello and Ray, another Aldabra giant tortoise still living at the Zoo, arrived in the U.S. as mature adults in 1938. Since it takes several decades for Aldabra giant tortoises to reach full size, Othello was well over 100 years old at the time of his passing,” the zoo noted:
It is with incredible sadness that we share the passing of Othello, one of our resident centenarian Aldabra giant…
Posted by Saint Louis Zoo on Thursday, April 10, 2025
The zoo’s guests and employees loved Othello who was apparently quite friendly and often sought the attention of his keepers.
“Othello served as an important ambassador for his species, which is considered vulnerable to extinction and is among the last remaining species of giant tortoise on Earth. Aldabra giant tortoises are native to the Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles, one of the largest coral islands in the world,” the zoo said before thanking everyone who knew and loved him throughout his life, adding that he will be deeply missed.
Social media users shared their sadness at the news, one person writing, “What a chunk of history he lived through. Glad he had such friends providing exceptional care and companionship.”
“We are sad to hear this. Living in Missouri all our lives, we have enjoyed the Zoo many times, see Othello every time. He will be missed. Where’s the statue? Hope to see one soon,” another user commented.
A 2019 video from a zoo in Michigan shows another Aldabra tortoise who weighed over 575 pounds:
Aldabra tortoises are among the biggest land tortoises on Earth and can live for more than 100 years, per the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.
“It is believed that tortoises are the longest lived of all animals although it is hard to prove because they have outlived the scientists who were studying them, and proper records were not kept. The Aldabra tortoises on exhibit at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo are about 80 years old. This is a guess because they arrived at the Zoo as adults. One pair arrived in 1956 and the second in 1976,” the institute’s website said.
