Turtle trouble in Poplar Bluff

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. (KBSI) – Insight into a new problem you will only see on FOX23 News. This time it is Turtle Trouble.

Dozens of giant turtles are missing in the FOX23 viewing area.

Owners and experts explain that the African Sulcata tortoise may be fascinating, but if you’re looking for a pet whether it’s a cat, a dog, or even a snake…. that may be a better choice.

We met Cooper and Banana at Mac’s Mission. They chowed down on fruits and vegetables, eating out of the hands of Rochelle Steffen and Holly Brantley.

These turtles are just two among 20 of the African Sulcata turtles that have found their way to Mac’s Mission in Cape Girardeau County.

“They are African tortoises which for a turtle, can book it across the land,” said Steffen. “They’re kind of an isolated, and solitary that live in the no-humidity desert in Africa and they walk all day and all night and do their thing.”

Steffen is the head of Mac’s Mission. She says if these turtles are any indication – zookeepers, safari guides, or even a turtle hunter could be next.

She’s the one who brought these turtles to our attention and she says while they are enormous, gentle giants that are super cool to look at, they don’t exactly make ideal pets.

“For some reason, somebody thought it was a great idea to bring them to the United States and have them as pets and I would like to go on record saying it’s the worst pet you could have,” said Steffen. “They live to be 2 to 300 pounds and they live to be over 100 years old.”

They often outlive their owners and are masters of escaping.

“So you need to be able to will them to somebody and they’re destructive they get out of everything they escaped,” said Steffen.

In a quick search, we quickly found dozens of posts about missing Sulcata turtles on Facebook. That is how we found Amy Kearby of Poplar Bluff. She was searching for her turtle.

“His name is Samson,” she said. “He has never tried escaping before but he shares the backyard with our dogs. The dogs chewed the rope off the gate to the fence and jumped on it during the night and got it open and before we realized it, Sampson had escaped and was long gone.”

Thankfully through Facebook, she was able to find him and bring him home. She said people have offered her hundreds of dollars for Sampson but she isn’t selling. As for keeping Sampson at home – so far so good.

“Yeah, we’ve got it secured; dogs are not getting it open anymore,” said Kearny.

We also reached out to the Animal Protective Association of Missouri.

“Essentially, they are pretty chill and very boring. It’s almost like owning a rock that doesn’t move very often,” said Belle Stewart of the APA.

Stewart shares what to do if you happen to run across one of these giant prehistoric-looking turtles.

“We recommend all the lost and found groups post and also reaching out to your shelters,” said Stewart. “We do get them often so reach out to your local animal control in your area that you lost your turtle.”

She says they are thankful for people like Steffen who shares some final thoughts. She recommends getting a tag like you would put on a cat or a dog and attaching it to the turtle’s shell.

If your heart is set on a turtle she leaves you with this advice:

“The worst pets ever are horrible pets,” said Steffen. “If you get your kid a reptile get him a different type of tortoise. If your kid is dead set on a tortoise try a Russian tortoise.”