Forget about the thousands of Muslims dying in Iraq, in today's Independent 
we learn about (genuinely sad news) the demise of 'the one and only' 
Addwaita the tortoise aged 250 years. A fantastic life that has spanned much 
of modern Indian history.

Addwaita arrived in the zoo in 1875. Zoo officials say she was one of four 
tortoises brought to India by British sailors from the Seychelle islands as 
a gift for Lord Robert Clive of the East India Company. Lord Clive was 
instrumental in establishing British colonial rule in India, before he 
returned to England in 1767.

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/article353348.ece