Today I pet a dinosaur. Really.
The British are commonly viewed as a cordial lot...turns out they have always been that way. Even before the modern day etiquette of bringing a bottle of wine or a potted plant as a hostess gift when attending a dinner party, the Brits were showing up around the world bearing gifts. Sure, one could argue that they do have a historical tendency of pillaging as a way of ‘shopping’ but this before the convenience of Amazon.
Anyway, the point of this brief (and not very historically accurate) lesson is provide an explanation as to why now on Changuu, a tiny island off the coast of Zanzibar, which itself is an island off the coast of Tanzania, is home to a large collection of Aldabra Giant Tortoises. Originally native to the Seychelles, the Tortoises were gifted from one British Governor to another in 1919. Initially designated as an island to house prisoners, Changuu Island evolved into a quarantine station for yellow fever in the late 1800’s. Now it is home to a few old buildings, a tennis court, some peacocks and these massive prehistoric beasts. And it was an unplanned stop on our day of spontaneity.
The first sign you see when you enter the ‘rehabilitation enclosure’ reads “warning, do not sit on the tortoises”. What an absolutely silly thing to say! Who would sit on a little tortoise?! And then you see them, and honestly...the first thing you want to do is
Our ‘guide’, and I use that term in the loosest sense of the word, informed us that the ages of these reptiles were painted on the backs of their shells. I still have no idea if that’s true because he honestly didn’t seem to be the most knowledgeable guy, and given the ages painted on the back...127, 151, 189...well you can see why I was skeptical. I know tortoises live long...but really...that seems a little extreme. And then I learnt about Adwaita.
The world lost a legend in 2006, when Adwaita, an Aldabra Tortoise died at the age of 255 in a zoo in Calcutta India. A gift, again from one Brit to another, Adwaita arrived in India in the 18th century, relocating to the zoo in 1875. Carbon dating on the shell was actually completed to confirm the age of the giant tortoise after death. And while the methods applied on Changuu Island are far less sophisticated then carbon dating, namely spray painting the shell; it is at least believable that these creatures are very, very old.
But unlike people, crankiness does not seem to come with age. The tortoises, ranging from the extremely young age of 35 up to a reported 189 would seek me out when they discovered that I give excellent pets. As playful as a puppy, just a lot creakier, these huge reptiles would come up and nudge my hand in search of a caress – and I would happily oblige.
I have been fortunate in life to have enjoyed some amazing animal encounters from polar bears in Canada to tigers in Thailand. I have watched yaks give birth in Mongolia and played with sea lions in the Galapagos. Today, my time with the Aldabra Giant Tortoise will join this remarkable list...probably very close to the top...
** As I was researching a bit to write this, I discovered that it is possible to actually purchase a bred-in-captivity Aldabra tortoise as a pet. Special thanks should be given to Vijay who stopped me from purchasing a tortoise today...you can order them online. I guess my only other option is to invite some British over for dinner.
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