For around 35 years, The Animal Store in Lincolnwood Village in the Chicago area of Illinois has confined an African Sulcata tortoise named Spur to a small, tiled display case. Spur’s life has been one of isolation, deprivation, and monotony—without sunlight, fresh air, or stimulation.

We have supported the campaign led by the Chicago Alliance for Animals (CAA), producing two action alerts, co-organizing a past protest, reaching out to the media, and other efforts. Now, please join us and CAA for an organized march for Spur, since she cannot roam.

Sulcata tortoises are naturally active animals who roam, soak, and dig burrows. Spur, however, can only take a few steps before hitting the walls of her enclosure. She spends her days either sitting motionless or frustratingly trying to climb the tiles around her, often giving up in exhaustion. She has no space to explore, no ground to dig in, and no natural sunlight.

Lincolnwood has an ordinance that prohibits the sale and keeping of naturally wild animals. Yet, since 2021, CAA has repeatedly notified the village's mayor, Jesal Patel, and its trustees that The Animal Store is violating this law. Despite the evidence, the Board voted in March 2022 to waive its own ordinance and opted out of Cook County’s Companion Animal and Consumer Protection Ordinance, which bans the sale of rabbits and wild animals.

Officials have claimed that “naturally wild” refers only to animals caught in the wild. But the law doesn’t make that distinction. CAA has documented multiple wild-caught species for sale on the store’s own website, including prairie dogs, Virginia opossums, and various reptiles. The Animal Store has even sold federally endangered species like the Yellow-Crested Cockatoo, putting animals and the public at risk while turning a profit.

We are marching in Lincolnwood for Spur—the Sulcata tortoise stolen from her home in Africa and imprisoned for decades in an unnatural cage. She cannot roam. She cannot burrow. She cannot feel the sunshine or the breeze. She has lived a deprived life for over 30 years.

We will walk for her and the countless other animals quietly suffering at The Animal Store. We’ll call on Lincolnwood residents and officials to enforce humane laws and end this cruelty.

Wild animals are not commodities. They are not “pets.” They are not entertainment. Yet Lincolnwood continues to ignore animal welfare laws to protect the interests of The Animal Store.

What: Walk for Spur event

When: Friday, May 30, 2025, 5:00-7:00 pm

Where: The Animal Store 4364 W. Touhy Ave. Lincolnwood, IL 60712

Check out the Facebook event page for details.

We need your voice. Urge the Lincolnwood trustees to put enforcement of humane ordinances back on the agenda and uphold them. If you haven’t already, please make the calls, post comments on social media, sign, and share our most recent alert to free Spur from The Animal Store.

We hope to see you there!