The world’s oldest living land animal — a 183 year-old tortoise named Jonathan — is back on his feet, having regained his senses after starting a healthier diet.
Jonathan’s health had been in decline until a doctor prescribed a diet of high-calorie fruits and vegetables.
His failing eyesight and deadened sense of smell resulted in his eating all the wrong things — twigs, leaves, and even dirt.
When his veterinarian on the British outpost of St. Helena Island realized what was going on, he put Jonathan on a diet of apples, guava, bananas, cucumber, and carrots.
The slow-moving reptile made a quick recovery. He gained weight and returned to his daily routine with other tortoises around the Plantation House grounds where he’s lived since his arrival on the tropical island in the South Atlantic Ocean as a spry, young 50-year-old in 1882.
