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A Lincolnwood pet shop owner and animal rights activists continue to be at odds regarding the disposition of an African Sulcata tortoise, a longtime fixture of the store.
The dispute centers on Spur, a 90-pound female tortoise. Owner Kenn Bearman, who said he got Spur over 30 years ago from reptile suppliers, keeps Spur in a waterproof ceramic tile basin near the front of Lincolnwood’s Animal Store at 4364 W. Touhy Avenue.
Bearman told the Lincolnwood Village Board at its Nov. 15 meeting, as he has in the past, that he and a veterinarian are taking excellent care of Spur, but some animal rights activists have protested outside the store and spoken out at a series of village board meetings.
Jodie Wiederkehr, the founder of the Chicago Alliance for Animals, questions Spur’s living conditions.
“She has been stuck in a tiny, barren display case for more than 30 years,” Wiederkehr said. “She has no enrichment; we’ve never once seen drinking water in her cage.”
She would like to see Spur moved to an animal sanctuary.
“A tortoise doesn’t belong in a pet store, she belongs in nature,” Wiederkehr said.
Bearman maintains Spur is being well cared for.
“She is under veterinary care and if she were to go outside to a sanctuary, her shell would get infected,” he said. “She needs to be where she is.”
Bearman said his store is inspected by government agencies several times a year.
The United States Department of Agriculture reports indicated there were not any issues with the last two inspections of the Animal Store.
However, in March 2021, there was a report that a male degu (a type of rodent) had lost part of its tail while at the store. Bearman said the degu was taken to a veterinarian the next day.
According to village documents, there are village, county and state regulations regarding the keeping of animals.
Wiederkehr added she would like to see the village enforce laws that prohibit naturally wild animals from being kept or sold in Lincolnwood.
“We want to make Lincolnwood a more humane village by not allowing animals to be sold like they are toys,” Wiederkehr said.
However, the village sees it differently, as the village attorney has determined that naturally wild animals are ones that were born in the wild.
Village documents provide some additional information on the situation.
“At its March 15, 2022 Committee of the Whole meeting, the Village Board reviewed the existing laws and the concerns raised regarding The Animal Store and Spur. At the conclusion of the discussion, the Board determined that no changes to the village ordinances were necessary,” the village documents read.
Assistant Village Manager Charles Meyer said that prior to the considerable engagement in about the past year with citizens regarding Spur, the village had received three to six complaints about the selling of rabbits and bunnies at the store.
Meyer added the only complaints he was aware of regarding the tortoise’s enclosure were the recent ones brought by the animal rights groups.
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Bearman describes Spur as the store mascot and he brings her along for appearances at schools, groups and retirement homes.
“She is a goodwill ambassador,” he said.
At the November 15 Lincolnwood Village Board meeting, Bearman told trustees that most online reviews of his store are 5-star reviews, notwithstanding that animal rights protesters are sometimes on the sidewalk outside the store.
He invited trustees to come visit the store. “See for yourself how clean and healthy the animals are,” he said. “They are our top priority.”
In 2011, Spur was stolen from the store. After the news went public, the tortoise was found and returned a few days later, according to a Tribune report.