Ever thought that anyone could make a world record just by hugging the trees! Honestly, who would? But yes, the Ghanaian man Abubakar Tahiru has proved this.
The 29-year-old environmental activist has registered his name in the Guinness Book of World Records. The student of forestry has achieved this big goal by hugging 1,123 trees in just one hour.
Record made by Tahiru records the average of 19 per-minute, hugging the tree. His record has been acknowledged by several publications by the Guinness World Records (GWR) on Friday, April 26, 2024.
The GWR explains the record as a complete hug with both arms wrapped around a tree in a close embrace, with no tree hugged more than once and no damage caused to any tree otherwise the attempt is disqualified.
Abubakar Tahiru attempted the record at Tuskegee National Forest, which is one of the four national forests in the timber-rich state of Albama.
He is the very first person to hold such record. Gladly accepting his achievement, Tahiru said that he feels incredibly rewarding to have achieved the world record.
Tahiru said, “It is a meaningful gesture to highlight the crucial role of trees in the ecosystem and the urgency of environmental conservation.”
The maker of the world record was born and brought up in Ghana. He grew up in a farming community in Tepa, which is a municipality in the Ashanti region, where he developed a keen interest in nature and its conservation.
He holds an undergraduate degree specialising in forestry at one of Ghana’s top universities and subsequently moved to Alabama, last year, in 2023 to begin his master’s degree course in forestry at Auburn University.
Excelling further in his life, Tahiru plans to deepen his involvement in forestry by working on the development of sustainable practices and gradually by collaborating with environmental organisations to promote the sustainable projects.
The Ghanaian talked about the challenges that were faced during attempting the world record. He highlighted that having to manoeuvre quickly between trees while ensuring that each hug meets the required standards.
He mentioned that the repetitive hugging made the attempt quite boring. Whereas, the hardest part for him was to attempt this record without eating anything.
As Tahiru was fasting for Ramadan and thus could have neither consumed water nor have eaten anything. He said, “Not being able to drink water throughout the attempt posed a significant challenge, especially given the physical exertion.”
“However, this also proved to be very helpful in a way, as there was no need to pause for water breaks, allowing me to continue the attempt uninterrupted from start to finish,” said Abubakar Tahiru.