Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
HE IS A tourist attraction worth travelling a long way to see — Jonathan the giant tortoise is perhaps the world’s oldest land animal, living in pampered luxury on the remote British island of St. Helena.
Aged at least 185 — though no one knows for certain — Jonathan should prepare himself for an influx of visitors now that an airport has opened on the small island in the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean.
The island’s most famous resident, Jonathan slowly roams the lush gardens of the governor’s house, eating carrots, lettuce, cucumber, apples and pears prepared in the governor’s kitchen.
He appears on the island’s five-pence coin, on immigration stamps, and in old black-and-white photographs alongside Boer War prisoners in the early 20th century.
“He is an institution, my V.I.P. — Very Important Patient,” said his vet Catherine Man, during her weekly check-up of Jonathan, who stretched out his long, wrinkled neck to eat some chopped carrot.
He knows our voices and is very gentle, but it can be a bit dangerous for my fingers when I feed him. He has a very set routine, he goes to the same places in the paddock at the same time each day.
Jonathan originates from the Seychelles but the circumstances of his arrival on St. Helena remain a mystery and the exact year is much disputed.
Some unconfirmed reports suggest 1882 — a few decades after Napoleon died in exile on the island on 1821.
Younger days
When younger and more agile, he was known for disrupting croquet matches on the governor’s lawn, and for going under tables at tea parties and upsetting the china.
Man, the only vet among the island’s 4,500 population, says he is now blind, has no sense of smell and is already far beyond his life expectancy of 150 years — but otherwise he is in good health with good hearing.
“Reptiles have a slow metabolism, they breathe slowly, they eat slowly, and live a long time,” she said.
“But perhaps his stress-free lifestyle here, and the clean air help explain his longevity.”
St. Helena, located in the Atlantic Ocean 1,900 km from the African mainland, is one of the most remote places on Earth.
Until now, the island’s only link to the outside world was by ship, but the new airport brings tourists on a weekly commercial flight from Johannesburg.
They will be able to visit Jonathan, viewing him and his three younger companions — Emma, David, Frederica — from a designated “corridor” to ensure the tortoises are left largely undisturbed.
Lisa Phillips, the governor of St. Helena, said that when she arrived to take up the post last year she went to meet Jonathan before she stepped inside the governor’s house.
“He loves company,” she said, even suggesting that venerable Jonathan is attracted to Emma, a mere youth at the age of 49.
“He still enjoys the ladies and I have heard him quite regularly in the paddock with Emma and he grunts. have to keep an eye on him when he is doing that — it was not in the job description when I became governor.”
Inevitably, there has to be a plan for when Jonathan finally dies.
His obituary has already been prepared and his shell will be preserved for posterity.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Anyone who says the usual nonsense about building it around the M50 clearly doesn’t drive on the M50 regularly.
Dave, I hear the M50 is quiet between 3am and 4am. I personally think they’re fibbing.
In the event of an emergency id be hooring up the hard shoulder and stopping for nobody. Its easier to ask for forgiveness than permission. :-)
Dave this is a maternity hospital who services South Dublin. It’s a perfect location.
@Dave Harris: more then 2/3rds ot the poulation live outside of dublin, it;s the national childrens hospital not the dublin childrens hospital
It is neither of those things, they are talking about the national MATERNITY hospital….
Serious joke yet again. Why the likes of Blanchardstown and Tallaght hospitals were,’t given preference for the maternity and childrens hospitals is beyond me. They have more than adequit land and travel facilitys.
Can’t fathom that either. Surely cheaper land and far easier to travel to and park the further from Dublin. Bad enough for a couple of births, but a Children’s hospital will have many repeat visitors per family.
Because the high flyers who run these hospitals don’t live in Tallaght or Blanchardstown that’s why.
I agree, it should have been moved to the end of my street. Or better still they should build one at the end of everyone’s street
Great that’s just around the corner from my house, better start knocking the wife up
The land is owned by Vincents what you on about
@viking – why would it move to Blanchardstown!? It provides maternity services for Dublin South East and East Wicklow. Are you really that stupid?
The Rotunda Hospital is due to move to Blanchardstown
@The Viking: Not the maternity or children’s hospital, a hospital. there will be more. Blanch and tallaght will get theirs, just not this time.
Meanwhile you propose a stripping out of the city centre. coring the heart and installing stand alone drive through only monstrosities as far from the centre as possible.
How far out do you need to live before you can stop being ashamed of being a Dub?
@The Viking:, there’s more to a hospital than just parking and roads. Blanch was ruled out as a collocation site for the children’s hospital because it’s *not as good medically*. Maybe it’s just me but the quality and experience of the doctors and nursing staff beat parking and traffic considerations any day.
A Dub ? … The clue is in the name : National. As in, everywhere outside Dublin as well. There’s more to Ireland than bloody coddle & chips. …
@Platypus Parcel: is this the national childrens hospital or the south dublin childrens hospital ? im sure youre not aware but theres a whole world outside south dublin
It’s just called that, the rotunda I’d due to move to blanch and the combe to James or tallaght. People getting very hot up when they clearly don’t understand how the maternity hospitals work, and also that this article is not about the children’s hospital!!
Co-location is no longer considered necessary by international standards. Maybe the children’s hospital location should now be reconsidered
Shame they couldn’t refurbish holles st. It’s a wonderful old building full of character that will probably be sold off to one of the law firms.
Character doesn’t make a good hospital…
A wonderful old building. That’s the very reason why they are moving.
In saying that myself ant my daughter were both born in the same room. She was born the day after my 30th.
Good post code though
National Maternity Hospital Board meetings will now officially start with a decade of the rosary…
Archbishop of Dublin is already their patron.
@Liam Kennedy: Cos bishops know all about making babies…thought they banished him to south america?
@Get Lost Eircodes: I was also under the impression that the board of St Vincent’s was far more conservative than HS and potentially a source of problems if/when more liberal policies are to be adopted.
Will it actually be built, opened and made operational?
This is a great result for the mothers-to-be in the catchment of the NMH. The co-location with SVUH guarantees better patient outcomes for emergency cases, as well as better transport options for routine cases.
The “National Maternity Hospital” is a somewhat inflated title. It is the largest maternity hospital in the State but its intended catchment is only intended to be south of the Liffey.
The proposed National Children’s Hospital is just that, however, and should be located in the most optimal location to allow accessibility to children (and their parents) from the entire country. It should also be collocates with a general hospital with the necessary skills mix. St. James’s Hospital probably meets the latter criteria, it doesn’t in any way meet the former. In fact, I’d go so far to say St. James’s should be relocated out westward closer to the M50. There is still a requirement within the City centre for acute and emergency care, perhaps these functions could remain within the city in a satellite hospital, but the current location for St. James’s is not fit for purpose as a general hospital, let alone a Children’s Hospital.
what is the point of having a national maternity hospital. We have 19 maternity hospitals in Ireland all doing a great job.
I don’t believe all 19 are doing a great job.
http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/safety-statements-for-19-maternity-units-published-385219.html
have your say