For her 10th birthday, in 1962, Jeanna Smith was surprised with a special gift: a pet tortoise. Now, Boyd Huppert checks in on the pair - still together, 56 years later. kare11.tv/2Hq0n17
It depends on the diet and age of the tortoise - I've got a 30-40 year old tortoise that is and will never be as large as the two 5 year old tortoises I have. I'm fairly sure but can't prove the oldest was an illegal import as a wild caught individual. The younger two though exceed him in weight by noticeable amounts despite being many years younger.They operate differently to us an 18year old human is equivalent to a 20 year old tortoise while a 21 year old human is equivalent to a 30 year old tortoise.
This is why people should never impulse buy animals. This is the best possible life an amazing creature like this deserves! I completely respect this wonderful lady for being so loyal!
I have snakes and the neighbour kids always stop by to see them. I always tell them that they should wait until they are much older to have one, as they can live for 20-30 years in captivity. Children can't really grasp that time span. That tortoise is bloody awesome!
Absolutely! Owning an animal is a life-long commitment. So much respect for her commitment to raise and take care of George. He deserves it. Plus, she has rare tortoise on her hand.
"Son, ... this tortoise has been in my family for generations. My grandmother gave it to my mother, my mother gave it to me, and now .... im giving this tortoise to you."
I'm just 20 but I don't like how I can "feel" time flow around me like a unstoppable river while when I was younger just a few years ago it felt as if time was chaotic and only moved when focused upon...
@@kooroshrostami27 as a kid, I swear some days felt like they were almost double the length of a normal day. Now I can blink and hours pass by like nothing. It's scary bruh 😫
George hasnt seen another tortise in 56 years and is stuck with a quack when he has the whole world. George planned his escape, but they caught him. think about that. a slow ass tortise escaped.
@@sam6334 For the first 40 years I had him, the name was Samantha because I was a "Bewitched" fan. Then I learned that "she" was actually a "he", so I had to rename him Sam. :D
I would like to create a go fund me for the person who is responsible for the title. It's only fair the person is re-educated to understand how birthdays work
My Aunt Jewel got a parrot for her 10th birthday in 1936. His name is Marlowe. Aunt Jewel died last year at age 93... Marlowe now lives with her grandson and his family. He'll be 100 in 2021. EDIT: I called my cousin to ask some questions about Marlowe. Apparently, he died last week. He was a hyacinth macaw. Caught by my great uncle in Brasilia as a fledgling in 1935. He was three feet tall and weighed just under five pounds. So, I guess RIP🦜Marlowe.
2B not 150. 100 is more accurate for a max, but that doesn’t happen to many parrots. Parrots generally live an average of 50+ years in good conditions, and depending on the bird, the care of the owner, and its environment, some parrots can go towards the century mark.
What kind of parrot? Amazons are known to make it into the high numbers. Birds that are wild caught or that had wild caught parents, tend to make it longer.
And he's in Minnesota. After 56 years she's got care down to a science. The commentator stated he spends summers outside, so his Vitamin D is natural about 1/3 of the year. He will grow untill he passes. Being captive, with proper care, he should get a decade or 2 past 100.
I lost mine after over 10 years of having her in my life ,she was a desert ornate I got from the pound she only had three legs ,she died during the earthquake in Trona California when we lived out there I miss her everyday 💔 ,I still have her as the screen saver on my computer.
Girl, turned woman, discovers the true meaning of "forever home" by making a home for her pet tortoise for 56 years. Real devotion and love! Well done!!
Yes that is a much better title! I really want pet owners to know what they are getting into when they get a pet that lives long like tortoises, parrots, and thank God this isn't popular anymore but people who keep chimpanzees.
I don't know who i love more George or his human. Having him for almost 60 years is astounding. I hope George is not too upset when his human passes. I am happy he has a loving home and plans for the future.
I really think this is the cutest thing I've ever seen. It would be so cool to have a animal companion for such a long time! I mean can you imagine all the memories? I have pets who moved on who I still get emotional over- and they only last like 13 years at most. 56 years? My stars. That's a long time of companionship.
I read your comment just as soon as she disclosed that statement lol.... that's the 2nd time it's happened to me today ! But man, this was a cute segment.
@Jar of Smegma So what? Evolution is not the purpose of an individual life, but a process that applies to a population group. If you can give a being comfort, do so. It is called kindness and is more the purpose of this life than enforcing evolution upon others is.
What a great story! Tortoises are amazing . I got my South American Redfoot in 1968 when I was in high school. Her name was Studebaker. She was already an adult so I don't know how old she was. I had her over 35 years. She was paper trained and hand fed. She had free run of my kitchen. When I got older I took her to a local library during their summer reading program. I did that about 12 years. Our local newspaper even did a story about us (The Saginaw News, Saginaw MI)
@@gmeeer9165 Are you trying to tell me that my posting is fake? If that's what you're implying I can assure it's not, in fact I still have the newspaper article to prove it. I got Studebaker in 1968 when I was a sophomore in high school, Douglas MacArthur High in Saginaw Michigan. I bought her from a pet store called Scales and Tails. The newspaper article I'm talking about was published on Sunday October 6, 2002. Having a pet tortoise that long, while rare can be done if you take proper care of the animal.
ZIGged My neighbours lost a tortoise in the filed behind our house 11 years ago and then a guy down the road lost one in the same filed and they found it and said it was there one that was living at the bottom of the garden for 11 years 🤦♂️
Haha and the one they found was actually only 5 years old and they end up proclaiming it to be the worlds oldest tortoise when her grandkids grandkids are looking after it
@@lankylemon8555 stfu there's people of every nationality that use words incorrectly, if you're gonna insult americans at least make it something that isn't commonplace in every country lol
It's more about how long the tortoise has lived than the care. That's important, too, but hardly anyone has a pet that can last a century or more. But many pet owners do give their pets loving care.
@@pinkfreud62 - I think that's the point though, tortoises and turtles live that long in general (depending on the species of course)- the majority of reptiles who are owned die way too young because of improper care, even if the people are trying their best. But yeah- like the narrator said, they can live over 100 years. 56 years old is middle age...
AS someone who actually lost my Turtle when I was 12 years old because I left the garage door open while playing Roller coaster Tycoon 2 I found this comment extremely offensive (and relatable). Never saw little Muska again....
Sweet story, this animal has brought so much joy to so many people. Just as excellent, this lady has made provisions for him to hopefully live a good life.
Uh, how do you mean? It's hard to keep a dog for 56 years. And this is a small species of tortoises. I use to owned a sulcata tortoise for over 12 years. But I had to move from Massachusetts to Colorado for family reasons and couldn't take an 80+ lbs tortoise across country. But he has a good home on a reptile sanctuary now
@@anilchandran3954 But you're basically saying that tortoises, alligators, elephants don't live as long as humans when in fact they do. I think you just worded it incorrectly.
@Stefan Tung Kids getting elephants as gift was common in rich families of kerala, state I am from. And there are stories that elephants which was sold disobeyed the mahout but obeyed the boy/girl it grew with after creating havock in festivals called poorams. But now, buy law a private person cannot buy an elephant in Kerala, so it doesn't happen any more.
Kids: "We've fond him, yeee!" Father: "Youre home little fella!" George *Silently: "Bastards! Leave me be! Uarghhh. Aaaah." George *Silently: "FREEEEEEEEDOMMMMM"
I love seeing this dedication to an animal that will likely outlive you. So often people get birds, hermit crabs, etc and get tired of them... Know your commitment level when choosing a pet. I choose Chia. :)
@@dalekelly7639 His growth is stunted. You can tell by their pyramiding on their shells. He looks like he's been fed pretty well in terms of nutrition but his shells very uneven. I wouldn't say he's particularly healthy. Due to his size it means he was kept in a very small box for decades. He's barely grown since that TV appearance when she was younger so it's safe to say most of that 56 years he's been in a box. Would also like to add that much strawberries for a turtle is not good. It's suppose to be treated as a treat every now and then, and a small amount. They can't digest it well.
My grandpa told me he inherited a tortoise from his grandma when he was about 6 years old. His grandma got the tortoise when she was a teenager. Back in the 1930's things were a little different and tortoise had a small hole in the shell where they tied a long line so the tortoise could walk around and eat at the grass areas of the local church while my grandpa was in school. He had the tortoise until his early 20's and he believed it to be between 80 and 90 years old when it passed but that's an estimate as the tortoise was fully grown when his grandma got it
This makes me wanna cry hearing the lady say when she's not around anymore she's gonna pass George onto her children and her children's children ;-;...
My daughter brought home a baby Turtle so we put it in a reptile tank. After watching the poor thing scratch at the glass for about 3 years I found an awesome Turtle Sanctuary for the poor caged creature. I still go visit the Turtle at his new home and he's loving life, no more scratching at the glass as he is free to roam from pond to pond with all the other Turtles.
I’m so glad. So many people get turtles, tortoises, snakes and other animals and do not realize they’re over a 20/40 year commitment and need the right environment to grow or they can be stunted. At 10, she had dedication and commitment. I hope they both live a long happy life.
@@AFA111 What are you talking about? In your previous comment, you said that snakes were evil so I asked for proof, and now you're saying that snakes won't bite americans? Either you're a troll or you don't know a single thing about snakes.
My 90 year old parents still have the gopher tortoise we pulled out of the Mojave desert (he was too close to a pending housing development) in California back in 1969 when I was 10 years old. Homer has always been very social and was never happy when we were away on vacation. And very quick, too. He could cover some ground rapidly, though he only "escaped" a few nerve-wracking times. A most interesting and under appreciated species, the tortoise. Everyone who comes into contact with Homer is fascinated by him.
