Philadelphia Zoo Shines Spotlight On Longest Resident: Happy 90 Years, Mommy!
Your back's in pain, you always feel like you have a kink in your neck, and your feet are always hurting. Yep, you're getting older. Still, chances are you're not as old as one of the oldest animals at the Philadelphia Zoo!
If not the oldest, she's certainly been there the longest. We're referring to Mommy, the tortoise. Mommy is a tortoise that originally hails from the Galapagos Islands. She was recently celebrated for being Philadelphia Zoo's longest resident. Believe it or not, she's been living at the Philadelphia Zoo for almost 100 years. 90 years, to be exact. So, in less than a decade, the zoo will be celebrating her millennium anniversary. Wow!
You know what this means, right? That means you, your grandparents, and even, quite possibly, your GREAT grandparents might have had encounters with Mommy. Although she's called the City of Brotherly Love home for the last few decades, she's actually a bit older than that. She's 97-years-old, so in 2025, it'll be time to celebrate her 100th birthday!
While she's about 97-years-old, Mommy's not the oldest resident at the zoo, she's just been there the longest. The oldest animal at the zoo is another tortoise named "Abrazzo."
Fox29 shared a video of their up-close experience with Mommy. In the video, you learn the reason why Mommy looks so good for her age. She eats so clean! Her favorite snack? Celery! We should take a page out of Mommy's book when trying to get in shape for this summer. Clearly, celery's the key.
Say "hi" to Mommy the next time you visit the Philly Zoo!