A desert tortoise named Lucy is missing, and her family is doing all they can to find her.
Lucy’s owner, Robin Rockley, said the 30-pound sulcata tortoise escaped from the backyard of his Westminster home Oct. 5 and was seen four days later near Brighton crossing Colorado 7.
A Good Samaritan rescued her and lifted her across the highway so she wouldn’t be hit by a car.
Then, Rockley said, Lucy — who is extremely friendly, follows people and answers to her name — followed her scent back to her Westminster home near 144th Avenue and Huron Street.
The 7-year-old reptile actually got to the home last Thursday. No one was home, but Lucy saw some movers at the house next door and started following them.
Rockley said one of the movers picked up the tortoise and took her to his home, but the mover’s wife didn’t want to keep Lucy.
He told Rockley he had taken Lucy to a pond near East Emma Street and South Burlington Avenue in Lafayette.
Rockley stressed that Lucy is a desert animal and, unlike turtles, does not like water.
He said that because she no longer has a scent to follow, she will still likely be within a 1-mile radius of her drop-off point.
“She is part of our family, and we miss her,” he said.
Rockley is offering a $100 reward for the safe return of Lucy. Anyone with information is asked to call 303-827-8057.
