430 lb woman sits on / kills giant tortoise – oldest known animal in the world

Shaker Heights – Ohio. The oldest animal in the world, a 184 year old tortoise named Terry, was accidentally killed today at the O.K. Animal Corral in downtown Shaker Heights.

A Cleveland woman was arrested late this afternoon outside of the OK, charged with animal cruelty and a host of other charges stemming from her actions resulting in the famous animals death.

Terry the turtle we are being told was a Aldabra giant tortoise, who has lived with the owners Maggie and Harold of the OK since 1954. Terry the tortoise was officially recorded in 1954 to have been 119 years old, when he was purchased from the Ringling Circus with papers verifying birth back to 1835 — Making him 184 years old as of today. The average life span for a Aldabra giant tortoise is between 80 and 120 years, thus making Terry truly remarkable.

Owner of the OK, Maggie Miles was in tears today telling Tales of Terry and how he ate carrots every morning from her own hand for the past 65 years.

We were getting ready to sell the farm. Every buyer had a stipulation including Terry in the sale. Now that Terry has passed away I fear we may have to renegotiate the sale or drop out all together. Terry was more than that though. We’ve been together for so long.

I fed him almost every day for over 60 years. Oh my God. I begged her to get up and she just looked at me with this glazed-over look in her eyes. And then that’s when I heard the crack, and a gasp from Terry who is usually quite silent. I knew it was bad.

According to the Harrisburg Police a Cleveland Woman by the name of Carla Garcia was visiting the okay with friends when she started to suffer from digestive pains and cramping and needed to sit down and rest. Captain Rosario of the Cleveland Police Department had this to say:

The woman involved was 430 lb okay. She needed a place to sit down and unbeknownst to her she took 184 year old giant tortoise as a decorative seat and sat on it. Mistakes happen.

Miss Garcia weight was simply too much for the turtle’s shell to withstand. We are trying to determine whether the animal died from pressure or suffocation at this present time.

The on-site veterinarian Dr. Phillips was also visibly shaken as he tells his account of what happened that afternoon.

We could have saved him. We were alerted almost instantly about Terry’s status but nobody could get that fat pig to budge. Excuse my name calling, but I’m emotional. Terry is… was, family.

When the shell started to crack it wasn’t over for Terry but in less than 5 minutes the Shell was under her, and in many pieces. I watched the light leave Terry’s eyes, as his neck, under one of her monstrous calves, stopped moving. Tomorrow would have been Terry’s 185th birthday.

Carla Garcia’s only comment was that she “thought it was a seat”. Carla is facing several charges not limited to animal cruelty and the DEC is filing separate charges as the tortoise is protected under The Endangered Species Act, which could actually send Carla to jail.

Terry the famous tortoise has been featured in countless documentaries, movies and magazine specials for as long almost as records have been kept in modern history. America herself mourns today as animals that live that long are incredibly rare. Rest in peace Terry.

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