Ghanaian hugs over 1,123trees to set new Guinness World Record

An 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.

Abubakar grew up in a farming community in Tepa, Ghana, where he developed a keen interest in nature and its conservation.

After completing his undergraduate degree specializing in forestry at one of Ghana’s top universities, Abubakar moved to Alabama, USA, last year to begin his master’s degree in forestry at Auburn University.

His record attempt took place at Tuskegee National Forest, one of four national forests in the timber-rich state of Alabama.

Abubakar says the hardest part of the record attempt was having to move quickly between trees while ensuring that each hug met the required standards. He also found the repetitive hugging motion to be quite tiring.

What made his record attempt even harder was the fact that he was fasting for Ramadan thus could not consume any water.

“Not being able to drink water throughout the attempt posed a significant challenge, especially given the physical exertion required,” Abubakar said.

“However, this also proved to be 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.”

Averaging one hug every three seconds, Abubakar easily surpassed the minimum requirement of 700 to become the first holder of this record.

“Achieving this world record feels incredibly rewarding,” he said.