In the year 2019, a royal palace in Ogbomoso, South-west Nigeria announced that its resident tortoise, Alagba died following a short illness after 344 years of her existence.
The tortoise, named Alagba, meaning elderly one, lived in the palace of Ogbomoso in Oyo state.
Alagba
Everyeveryng gathered that the late tortoise had at least two personal attendants to see to her needs and would eat only twice a month.
She was thought to possess healing powers and attracted visitors from far and wide.
The late tortoise was said to like eating foods like amala, rice, beans with plantain and fruits like pineapple, pawpaw and banana.
Palace sources discosed that doctors never visited the tortoise while she was alive.
The revered reptile was apparently brought to the palace by the kingdom’s third leader, Isan Okumoyede, who reigned from 1770 to 1797.
However, Isan Okumoyede reigned just over 200 years ago, this means the tortoise would have already been 100 when she was found, for her to have reached the grand old age of 344.
Meanwhile, reptile experts have cast doubt on Alagba’s alleged age, Tim Skelton, curator of reptiles at Bristol Zoo, said it would be “impossible” for her to have lived that long.
