Email
Print
He's not your typical missing pet
ADVERTISEMENT
Published: October 9, 2009
He's tan. He's 40 pounds. He's a bit slow-moving. And he's missing.
Chip, a 12-year-old Sulcata desert tortoise, has been missing for more than a week and his owners are anxious to find him.
"We're at the point where we think somebody picked him up," said Jacki Bagwell, who recently moved to Perth Road in Mooresville from Mt. Holly and is offering a reward for the return of her beloved pet.
She said her family had only lived in town for a couple weeks when Chip went missing on Oct. 1.
Not having erected their property fence yet – which would normally keep her two tortoises enclosed – Bagwell said the two reptiles were left inside the house that Thursday, but somehow opened the door and escaped. After arriving home from work later that day, she said she swiftly realized that Chip and her other tortoise, Dozer, had wandered outside and away from the house.
Dozer was soon returned. But there's been no sign of Chip, causing the Bagwells to worry about the welfare of their pet.
"He will not be able to survive in the winter," said Bagwell, noting that since Chip is a desert turtle he needs to remain warm, in temperatures above 60 degrees, particularly at night. She said the family has a heated shed in its backyard for the tortoises when temperatures fall, but if he's wandering through Mooresville, Chip will be in danger as the weather changes and winter approaches.
She also noted that Chip is not a water turtle like many other reptiles.
"He will drown. He cannot swim," she said. "That was our second biggest fear. That someone picked him up and brought him to the lake."
But their biggest fear, she said, is that somebody found Chip and has chosen to keep him as their own.
Bagwell warned that, because of his particular species, Chip can cause major damage to household items, such as furniture or even walls.
"They are big-shelled tortoises," she explained. "They are not made to be in the house. They are very destructive."
Chip, she said, also has a very specialized diet to keep him healthy as he ages, eventually reaching more than 100 years old. "If somebody does have him, they'll be in over their head."
She also noted that the possibility exists that Chip may have been struck by a motorist on or near Perth Road, though no signs of the tortoise have been discovered in the immediate area.
"We haven't seen him on the side of the road (and) there's no trace of him found in woods nearby," she said, adding that nobody has yet to respond to the many fliers she has circulated throughout the Mooresville area either. Local police departments, veterinary clinics, animal shelters, nearby schools and Iredell County's search and rescue squad have been notified as well, she said.
"I've been taking those fliers everywhere I can think of and calling everybody," she said. "But it's getting to where we really need get him home."
Added Bagwell, "If he finds a nice sunny spot, he'll just sit there and lie. He can cover some ground probably. But we think that somebody probably picked him up. He'll walk up to anybody. He's a very friendly tortoise."
If anyone has information about Chip, contact Bagwell at 704-506-4709 or 704-661-9359.
Email
Print
ADVERTISEMENT
Advertisement
