A Pokemon GO player's Weedle has been defending the same gym for over six years. Thanks to the very nature of Pokemon GO, there are some gyms that are found in spots with a low population and almost no one playing the game. Putting Pokemon in these remote gyms can be risky, as it could make it so Pokemon GO players pretty much never get their Pokemon back.
Pokemon GO players can earn a max of 50 coins if their Pokemon successfully defends a gym for long enough, but they only get those coins when the Pokemon is knocked out and returned to their roster. This means that a Pokemon could defend a gym for years and Pokemon GO players will still only get 50 coins for their efforts. And if that Pokemon happens to get sent back on a day when the player has already earned 50 coins, they will effectively get nothing except for progress on the Gym Leader medal, which rewards Pokemon GO players for successfully defending gyms.
Despite this, some Pokemon GO players still put their Pokemon in gyms that receive very little traffic, if any at all, and so their Pokemon are effectively stuck there forever. This is what's happened to Reddit user Graulithe, whose Weedle has successfully defended a gym for over 2,194 days so far. Graulithe confirmed that the gym is in a remote location with poor cell service, meaning it would be difficult for anyone to knock the Weedle out even if they did find out. They also confirmed that the gym is a Valor gym and that there are a couple of other Pokemon there that have also been defending it for an extended period of time. They wouldn't reveal the gym's location, though, so unless someone happens to stumble on it, it seems the Weedle will remain there indefinitely.
Some commenters on the post noted that the Weedle's heart was empty. This means that if someone were to happen upon the gym, it would only take a single fight to knock the Weedle out of it. Pokemon GO players can feed their Pokemon berries while they're in gyms to refill their hearts and make it a little more difficult for other players to knock them out. Graulithe confirmed that they do indeed feed their Weedle berries occasionally, but they have only fed it a total of 1,200 berries since it's been defending the gym.
This Weedle isn't the only Pokemon in Pokemon GO that's been defending a gym for a significant amount of time. Just recently, another Pokemon GO player shared their Dragonite, who has successfully defended a gym for over a year now. In the meantime, one has to wonder if there are any Pokemon out there that have been defending a Pokemon GO gym longer than this Weedle has.
Pokemon GO is out now for iOS and Android mobile devices.