HALIFAX — A beloved 104-year-old gopher tortoise, Gus, is receiving love and well wishes from supporters across the world ahead of his surgery.
Gus is heading into surgery this Tuesday to remove a growing bladder stone.
Believed to be the oldest living gopher tortoise in the world, Gus hatched around 1922 and arrived at the Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History back in 1942 after a former director bought him in Florida for just five dollars. At roughly 104 years old, he has become a cross-generational staple for locals and tourists alike, famous for his daily walks around the museum grounds and his love of fresh fruit.
Vets first spotted the bladder stone back in 2009. At the time, removing it would have meant cutting through his shell, a high-risk procedure the team opted against. Thanks to newer veterinary techniques, surgeons can now extract the stone through a small incision near his leg instead. Recent imaging showed the stone had grown large enough to risk pressing against internal organs, making the operation necessary to prevent future pain.
While operating on a centenarian reptile carries natural risks, staff say Gus is in solid health. In the wild, gopher tortoises rarely live past 60 due to habitat loss and road traffic, but decades of steady care, a controlled climate, and regular vet checkups have kept Gus going strong.
After his final walk on Monday, Gus will step out of the public spotlight for several weeks to rest and recover behind the scenes at the museum.
