Halifax museum's 104-year-old tortoise Gus receives global well-wishes before surgery

HALIFAX — A 104-year-old gopher tortoise in Halifax is receiving an outpouring of support from around the world ahead of a scheduled surgery.

Hundreds of letters, get-well cards and pieces of art have been sent to Gus at the Museum of Natural History in the two weeks since the museum announced he will undergo surgery Tuesday for a bladder stone, said Jeff Gray, the museum's manager.

"It's just so lovely that people have this sort of universal experience with Gus … people who visited Gus when they were a child, they return with their children, they return with their grandchildren," Gray said in an interview Friday.

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The museum's social media accounts have also received thousands of messages from people across Canada and beyond who are wishing Gus well.

Gus, believed to be the oldest gopher tortoise in the world, has been a part of the museum since 1942, when a former director bought him for $5 in Florida. He is believed to have hatched in 1922.

Almost every day, visitors can join him on his afternoon walk around the museum, strolling in the grassy yard in warm weather or wandering the exhibits indoors when it's cold or rainy.

During Friday's walk, about 20 visitors watched the tortoise munch on strawberries, lettuce and a banana.

"I have a new idol. Someone I want to emulate when I'm 104," said visitor Becky Cooper from Maine with a laugh.

Her eight-year-old son, Spike Cooper, said he had never seen a tortoise before and was impressed. "I think that he's really good … I hope that he's going to take (the surgery) well," he said.

Gray said Gus's veterinary team first became aware of a bladder stone in 2009, and a more recent scan showed it has grown and is now pressing on nearby tissue.

"There's a fear that if we don't do something and the bladder stone continues to grow, it will start to push against other organs and start to cause discomfort," Gray said. "He's certainly not showing any signs of pain now."

In 2009, operating would have involved drilling through his shell, but now veterinary surgical advancements mean the stone can be removed through a small incision in Gus's leg.

Gray said bladder stones are relatively common in tortoises, and there's evidence the procedure has been successful for other gopher tortoises. What's uncommon is a veterinary surgery on a reptile that's more than 100 years old.

In the wild, gopher tortoises typically live about 60 years.

Because of Gus's age, "we tend to worry in general about going into these things. But he is in great health, and tortoises that have been in great health have had great results," Gray said.

He said all surgeries come with risk, but museum staff and the veterinary team believe the procedure will give Gus the best chance at a healthy and comfortable future.

Gus will take a break from his public walks as he recovers in private for several weeks after surgery.

His daily walks will continue as usual throughout the weekend and on Monday, which will be his last public stroll before the operation on Tuesday.

With files from The Canadian Press and Global News