May I introduce: Esmeralda! No no, not the little boy on the left, but the biggest tortoise in the world! It weighs 310 kilograms and, according to the certificate at Bird Island reception, is a whopping 242 years old – but if you talk to the guides on site, you soon find out that this is a (rather clever) marketing stunt. It is probably about 90 years old – but who cares about age when you are the largest and heaviest living tortoise in the world? 😉
Oh yes, before I forget: She’s a he. It may sound strange, but it’s true. By the way, the little boy in the photo is our son Tom, who was quite fascinated by Esmeralda… 🙂