Methuselah, 130, is dead
RAPID CITY, S.D. - A 130-year-old giant tortoise that has delighted visitors to a South Dakota reptile park for more than half a century has died.
RAPID CITY, S.D. - A 130-year-old giant tortoise that has delighted visitors to a South Dakota reptile park for more than half a century has died.
KEVN-TV reports that Methuselah died Sunday night.
Reptile Gardens, in Rapid City, estimates that tens of thousands of visitors have seen the giant tortoise since it arrived at the park in 1954 from the Galapagos Islands.
Park officials said it wasn't unusual to hear grandparents tell grandchildren about meeting the reptile when they were young.
Park Manager John Brockelsby said Methuselah was Reptile Gardens' best ambassador and that "losing him is like losing an old, good friend."
The park plans to build a memorial for Methuselah.
Giant tortoises can live well over 100 years and grow to be hundreds of pounds.