A 29-year-old Ghanaian environmental activist and Forestry student, Abubakar Tahiru, has made history by breaking the Guinness World Record (GWR) for hugging 1,123 trees in just one hour.
His achievement not only secured his place as the record holder, but also marked the first time this title has been awarded.
The Guinness World Record committee praised Tahiru for surpassing the minimum requirement of 700 tree hugs with ease.
“An environmental activist and forestry student from Ghana has set a new world record for the most trees hugged in one hour.
“29-year-old Abubakar Tahiru hugged a total of 1,123 trees, averaging almost 19 per minute,” Guinness World Record announced n their website on Friday, April 26.
The event took place at the Tuskegee National Forest in Alabama, USA, where Tahiru averaged nearly 19 tree hugs per minute.
Growing up in a farming community in Tepa, Ghana, Tahiru developed a deep passion for nature and conservation, leading him to pursue studies in Forestry.
Despite fasting during Ramadan and not being able to drink water, Tahiru successfully completed the challenge by embracing each tree with both arms in a close embrace.
The strict guidelines of the challenge required that no tree could be hugged more than once and no damage should be caused to any tree.
“For the purposes of this record, a hug is defined as both arms wrapped around a tree in a close embrace. No tree may be hugged more than once, and no damage can be caused to any tree or else the attempt is disqualified,” GWR said of the guidelines.
Speaking to GWR on his historic feat, Abubakar stated:
“Not being able to drink water throughout the attempt posed a significant challenge, especially given the physical exertion required,” he said.
“Achieving this world record feels incredibly rewarding.
“It’s a meaningful gesture to highlight the crucial role of trees in our ecosystem and the urgency of environmental conservation,” Abubakar added.
