Overview
- The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance said Gramma died on November 20 after a review of her declining condition.
- Keepers estimated her age at about 141 and said she arrived from the Bronx Zoo between 1928 and 1931 after being born in the wild.
- Staff affectionately knew her as the “queen of the zoo,” and visitors posted tributes recalling encounters across generations.
- Galápagos giant tortoises can live well past 100 years, with noted cases including Harriet at about 175 and Jonathan at about 192.
- Conservation groups report 15 subspecies with three extinct, and captive breeding has released more than 10,000 juveniles since 1965, with new hatchlings reported at U.S. zoos this year.