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Tortoise couple splits after 115 years together

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Tortoise couple splits after 115 years together

3News NZ

The tortoises had been together 115 years (file pic)

The tortoises had been together 115 years (file pic)

By 3 News online staff

Two giant tortoises that have been living together for 115 years can no longer stand the sight of each other.

Bibi and Poldi, both born in 1897, have been a pair their entire lives, reports The Independent.

They've spent the last 36 years living at Klagenfurt Zoo in Austria, but had a spectacular falling out last week when Bibi – the female – bit off a piece of her former BFF's tail.

Following more abuse, and failed attempts to get them to reconcile, zoo staff had no option but to separate the pair.

“We get the feeling they can't stand the sight of each other anymore,” says zoo director Helga Happ.

“For no reason anyone can discover, they have fallen out.”

Giant tortoises in the wild are disappearing fast, partly because they have trouble finding one another, and also due to a difficult and dangerous mating routine.

Male tortoises have to balance themselves on top of the female for hours at a time, and falling off can be deadly.

3 News

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Comments

25/02/2013 2:58:03 p.m.

[NAME-HERE] wrote:

Seriously. Sad...

15/06/2012 12:31:31 p.m.

Dan wrote:

Maybe if he came out of his shell a little bit more she would get to see the real him.