A canine that was named the oldest canine ever has misplaced his title amid an investigation into its background.
Bobi, who lived in Portugal, was mentioned to have been 30 years and 268 days when he was named the world’s oldest by Guinness World Records final February.
In October 2023, he died on the reported age of 31 years and 163 days.
But doubts have now been raised over whether or not he actually was the oldest canine ever – regardless of his start apparently being confirmed by the Portuguese authorities’s pet database and the National Union of Veterinarians.
Bobi was a purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo, a breed of livestock guardian canine with a mean life expectancy of 12 to 14 years.
Sceptics have requested why photographs purportedly of Bobi in his youth would present him with white paws once they had been brown in his later years, reported The Times.
Guinness World Records has mentioned it’s withdrawing his title till an investigation is accomplished.
“While our review is ongoing we have decided to temporarily pause both the record titles for ‘oldest dog living’ and ‘oldest dog ever’ – just until all of our findings are in place,” a spokeswoman advised The Times.
The publication mentioned it appeared his grand outdated age could have as a substitute been attributable to slack fact-checking.
An investigation by Wired journal discovered Bobi had solely been registered on the Portuguese authorities’s pet database in 2022, a yr earlier than he died.
At the time, Bobi’s proprietor had declared the canine had been born in 1992, however an official for the database said it had “no registration or data that can confirm or deny this statement”, Wired reported.
Registration of canine born earlier than 2008 did not turn out to be necessary in Portugal till October 2020, so it is doable Bobi actually was born in 1992, however his proprietor did not have the paperwork to show it, in keeping with Wired.
The title may go to Spike, a residing chihuahua from Ohio, who briefly held the crown final January on the age of 23 years, earlier than being usurped by Bobi.
For Spike’s preliminary verification, his proprietor Rita Kimball offered Guinness World Records with vet information and payments that positioned his date of start in 1999 in addition to photographs of him by means of the years.
However she mentioned she had not had him since he was a pet and he or she discovered him in 2009 in a parking lot.
And her proof might not be sufficient, the organisation advised her.
Wired reported that in an e mail to Ms Kimball, a Guinness World Records consultant wrote: “We are reviewing how we verify animal age records at the moment, so ahead of reinstating Spike as the record-holder, we would like to discuss the possibility of you arranging for a second vet to assess Spike and confirm his age.
“It’s doubtless lots of our document classes would require a second opinion for verification sooner or later.”
Source: information.sky.com”