A tortoise known as Baba, which the Alaafin’s Palace in Oyo described as about 420 years old, has died after falling ill at the palace.
Baba reportedly died on Monday after it stopped eating and was later buried, according to a statement issued by Bode Durojaiye, Director of Media and Publicity to the Alaafin.
The tortoise was regarded by the palace as a treasured relic of the ancient Oyo Kingdom and had reportedly been cared for by successive Alaafins.
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“Baba was more than a turtle in status. He represented a part of the oral history of the Yoruba race. Now, the Alaafin has lost an ageless companion,” Durojaiye said.
The palace said oral tradition traced Baba’s origin to Oyo-Ile, the former capital of the Oyo Empire, from where the animal was brought to the present palace in Oyo town.
Over the years, Baba reportedly became a tourist attraction, drawing visitors to the palace because of its reported age and size.
The palace said two officials were responsible for caring for the tortoise, which reportedly fed on watermelon, corn pap wrapped in leaves and grass.
Baba fell ill on Monday and stopped eating before it died, the statement said.
According to the palace, successive monarchs inherited responsibility for caring for the animal, which became associated with the history and traditions of the royal institution.
“In Oyo, Baba was regarded as the oldest indigene. It was the Paramount Ruler’s most besotted pet. The Monarch met it in the Palace,” the statement said.
It added that Baba had been “nourished by a succession of kings” and was regarded as one of the relics inherited from previous generations of the Oyo royal institution.
The palace also linked Baba’s symbolic importance to Yoruba beliefs about the relationship between the living, the dead and the unborn, drawing a connection with Wole Soyinka’s play, Death and the King’s Horseman.
The reported 420-year age is based on palace oral history and has not been independently verified through a birth record or scientific age assessment.
Baba’s reported age would have made it an extraordinary outlier even among long-lived tortoises. The Guinness World Records-recognised oldest known living tortoise, Jonathan, is estimated to be 194 years old in 2026.
Regardless of the uncertainty surrounding its exact age, Baba had become a familiar part of the Alaafin’s Palace and a symbol of Oyo’s oral heritage.
The palace said the animal had already been buried.
“Baba fell ill on Monday, just a little sickness and couldn’t eat anymore. Then he died. Just like that,” the statement said.
“He had since been buried. Good night, Baba.”
