LINCOLNWOOD, Ill. (June 4, 2025) — Concerned Chicagoans with In Defense of Animals and Chicago Alliance for Animals (CAA) rallied in Lincolnwood on Friday to demand freedom for Spur, an endangered African spurred tortoise who has been confined for more than three decades in a small, tiled display case inside The Animal Store. The peaceful demonstration ended outside the home of Lincolnwood Mayor Jesal Patel, calling on him to enforce the village’s own ordinance banning the keeping of wild animals.

Spur has languished at the store for around 35 years, deprived of sunshine, fresh air, natural ground, and space to roam — all essential for sulcata tortoises, who are native to the Sahara desert and naturally dig, roam, and soak. Witnesses describe Spur’s daily conditions as heartbreaking and cruel: she can only take a few steps before hitting a wall and is often seen straining to climb her tiled enclosure before giving up in exhaustion.

Demonstrators began at The Animal Store with signs, fact sheets, and a megaphone. Many motorists showed support by honking and taking fact sheets. The group then marched to Lincolnwood Village Hall to protest the government’s violation of its duty to enforce local ordinances and failure to protect community wellbeing. 

The walk culminated at Mayor Patel's home, where neighbors received flyers detailing the violations and heard speeches about Patel’s role in maintaining them.

“Activists chose to walk because Spur hasn’t been able to take more than a few steps in any direction for over three decades,” said Brittany Michelson, Campaign Specialist for In Defense of Animals. “Lincolnwood’s ordinance recognizes that wild animals belong in the wild. Spur and other wild animals illegally held at The Animal Store deserve protection from Mayor Patel and village officials.”

Despite evidence that The Animal Store is in violation of Lincolnwood’s ordinance prohibiting the keeping of wild animals, the mayor and trustees have failed to act. CAA and In Defense of Animals have documented violations and sent more than 26,000 emails urging enforcement. 

The Animal Store has also sold other wild-caught animals — including prairie dogs, opossums, and reptiles — and even federally endangered species such as the yellow-crested cockatoo. 

In March 2022, the Lincolnwood Village Board voted to waive its ordinance and opted out of the Cook County Companion Animal and Consumer Protection Ordinance, which bans the sale of rabbits and wild animals — a decision that sealed Spur’s fate and opened the door to continued animal exploitation.

“Mayor Patel and the Village of Lincolnwood must enforce their own ordinance that prohibits the keeping of wild animals,” said Jodie Wiederkehr, Executive Director of CAA. “In doing so, they should firmly encourage The Animal Store to allow Spur to finally go to a sanctuary in Arizona where she can live in a habitat that resembles her native Africa, where she can feel warmth and sunshine, and live outdoors. Languishing in a tiny prison for more than three decades with nothing natural to her life is torture.”

The illegal global wildlife trade — which fuels the captivity of animals like Spur — is the fourth largest criminal enterprise in the world, generating billions of dollars each year. This industry devastates biodiversity and imposes massive burdens on authorities and rescue operations.

Members of the public are encouraged to take action to free Spur:

https://www.idausa.org/freespur

https://www.idausa.org/freespurthetortoise 

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CONTACTS: 

In Defense of Animals, Brittany Michelson, brittany@idausa.org 928-420-0727
Chicago Alliance for Animals, Jodie Wiederkehr, chicagoallianceforanimals@gmail.com 773-726-0589

ORGANIZATIONS:

In Defense of Animals is an international animal rescue and protection organization with over 250,000 supporters and a history of defending animals, the environment, and their guardians through education and campaigns, as well as hands-on rescue facilities in India, South Korea, rural Mississippi, and California since 1983. www.idausa.org/entertainment

Chicago Alliance for Animals (CAA) is an all volunteer, grassroots organization that banned horse carriages in Chicago in 2020, shut down Chicago's puppy mill stores in 2021 and so much more. CAA started the #FreeRocky and #FreeSpur campaigns and has been working hard to get both of these exploited animals to sanctuary. www.chicagoallianceforanimals.org

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