'Quite the personality': Over 50-year-old tortoise dies

Sergeant Salty, a sulcata tortoise, was remembered for being "grumpy" and "lovable."

Sergeant Salty was euthanized on Nov. 25 after battling a leg infection, ABQ BioPark spokesperson Greg Jackson said. 

"We think he was at least 50 years of age and we estimated that based on the size he was when he got him," BioPark Zoo amphibian and reptiles curator Stacey Sekscienski said in a phone interview. "But they can live up to about 80 years old."

Earlier in the year, Sergeant Salty developed a leg infection and necrosis of the bone, which required extensive surgery. During his recovery, the veterinarian staff "discovered complications and additional health issues that were too great to effectively treat and that limited Salty's quality of life,"  according to a BioPark Facebook post.

Sekscienski said Sergeant Salty, who had been at ABQ BioPark Zoo since 2001, had "quite the personality."

"He didn't necessarily like to interact with people," she said. "So, that's why we called him grumpy. But he was lovable in a way that it was fun to watch him interact with the other tortoises in the yard."

Over the years, Sergeant Salty enjoyed living alongside his companions, the Aldabra tortoises, in their habitat. He was often seen competing with "Big Guy," the male Aldabra tortoise, for the attention of the female Aldabra tortoises, according to BioPark.

Sergeant Salty, a 33-inch long, 225-pound, sulcata (or African spurred) tortoise, arrived in 2001 as a surrendered pet and served "as an ambassador for his species as well as helping raise awareness about the pet trade of this species," the post states.

Sulcata tortoises are listed as endangered in the wild by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, but are among the most common tortoises sold in the pet trade, according to BioPark.

"They are often sold at such a young age that pet owners are unaware of just how big these animals can get," the post states.

"So what happens often is that people see a cute little tortoise in a pet shop, but they don't realize it can get to be 100 pounds to 200 pounds," Sekscienski said. "They don't realize they can dig burrows in your yard and maybe bust out of your yard.

"... (Sulcata tortoises) can make great pets, but people need to do their research and their homework and make sure they have a commitment to keeping these animals long-term."