Giant tortoise Cerro celebrates 50th birthday in Perth Zoo

Cerro, the Galapagos tortoise in Perth Zoo turned 50 last week and the zoo authorities offered him a watermelon cake to celebrate the occasion (Xinhua/ Photo provided by Perth Zoo/IANS)

Can you believe it – a tortoise weighing more than 200 kilograms? Well, Cerro, whom we are talking about, a resident of Perth Zoo, Australia, is no ordinary tortoise. Cerro belongs to the Galapagos species - the largest living species of tortoise – and he celebrated his 50th birthday recently.  The zoo authorities offered him a watermelon cake on his birthday and he seemed to have really enjoyed the treat. (Take a look at the Video) 

"Except when there is food around — then he gets a bit of speed up to make sure he eats first," zookeeper Emily Trainer told ABC News.  "Cerro tends to lead a peaceful, lazy life. When not spending his time eating, he enjoys a dip in his pond, a play in his mud wallow and he is also very smart, so we do training sessions with him as well."

The oldest recorded age of a Galapagos tortoise is believed to be 175 years. So, Cerro is going to be around for many more years. Long life to you, Cerro!