Turtle Divorce: Giant Turtles Divorce After 115 Years Together The Huffington Post | 06/09/2012 4:57 am You can't say they didn't try. After an impressive 115 years together, two giant turtles at an Austrian zoo are refusing to share their cage anymore, the Austrian Times reported Friday. "We get the feeling they can't stand the sight of each other anymore," said Helga Happ, director of the Klagenfurt-based zoo, where the turtles - Bibi, the female and Poldi, the male - have lived for the last 36 years. Before that, they called Basel Zoo in Switzerland home. According to the paper, zoo staff realized something was amiss when Bibi bit off a chunk of her partner's shell. When the attacks continued, Poldi was moved to another cage. Animal experts even attempted couples' counseling - feeding the turtles aphrodisiacs and encouraging them to play games together. But so far, efforts have failed to bring the shelled lovers back together. Turtles aren't the only members of the animal kingdom known to "divorce" their partners. Turtles aren't the only members of the animal kingdom known to "divorce" their partners. Studies have shown that some birds who mated successfully with a partner one year have "divorced" and moved on with another partner in successive years. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/08/turtle-divorce_n_1581463.html?ref=mostpopular ...... Gosh, if turtles and birds cannot make it for life do us part why would religions insist that humans abide by this inhumane rule? After all, when there is no love left, living together is just a farce that people are then forced to live by, which is am untruthful way of life and a detriment to their wellbeing. I still think for humans (and animals) there should be a five-year renewable contract where at the end of that time, each can decide, or not, to re-sign the marriage contract or refuse, with no animosity or hard feelings. It also would keep both partners on their best behavior, especially around the five-year mark where they are thinking about where their life is going, and if they want to continue in the marraige at all under any circumstances. The wives in an unwholesome marriage are also put into a dangerous position as they seek to work out their troubles with little or no help from the authorities which then escalates into physical and sometimes murder of their wives instead of dealing with it in an adult manner. All marriages should be in the states hands with religion left totally out of it unless the couple wants a second marriage within a church, but always the inital marriage should be formalized by the state with a five-year renewal contract given at the signing of the marriage. After all, you can return anything you buy if it is not what you really want, so why shouldnt you be able to do that with a marriage which grows apart and changes every day of your marriage to each other. Some of the church's rules are so draconian and unjust, arbitrary and punitive...some of the pastors deciding if a bride's gown is acceptable, that the women may not cut their hair, etc, that marriage becomes a life sentence rather than a marriage.
How sad for the turtles (tortoises??). I like the idea of a renewable marriage except if there are kids involved. I don't think anyone should stay in a really bad marriage (abuse, adultery, addition) just for the sake of the kids, but I do think they should try extra hard to make it work if there are kids.
Fortunately, the zoo peronnel rejected out of hand demands from 2879 attorneys who wanted to represent one or both of the turtles. Otherwise, the female turtle would now have two shells and the poor old guy would be shivering in his skivvies. I agree with everything BobbyT said. I would say, categorically, that divorce is better, even if kids are involved, than suicide. I realize that realistically women are allowed to kill their husbands I still think it's a poor practice.
