Have You Seen Tucker? Brick Woman Searching For Lost Pet Turtle

BRICK, NJ — Susan McGuire Rowe says she was upstairs helping her mother with something when the call came in: her pet turtle had been seen.

It has been nearly a month since Tucker, the red-eared slider, escaped from the enclosure at Rowe's home in Brick. In that time, she has been searching desperately to find the turtle, who has been her pet for a few years.

Rowe, who lives on Salmon Street, said there have been two possible sightings of Tucker at the Ocean County Golf Course at Forge Pond, a short distance from her home, including one Sunday by workers at the course.

They called her and texted photos, but Rowe did not see them until an hour later, she said Tuesday. When she went to the course to look for Tucker, the turtle was no longer where workers saw it.

"I feel like I’m having a mental breakdown," Rowe said, adding that some people don't understand why she feels the same way about Tucker that others feel about their cats and dogs.

"I've been told I'm taking it too far," she said. "But I have to find her."

Rowe acquired Tucker after a friend's adult son died. Rowe has a permit from the state Division of Fish and Wildlife to keep turtles and has other ones, and the friend contacted Rowe, asking if she would take Tucker. The son's girlfriend took Tucker in at first, with Rowe offering advice on how to care for it, but when caring for it became too much, Rowe agreed to take Tucker.

Tucker and the other turtles live outside on her property during the warm months, but when the weather gets cold, Rowe brings them inside to keep them safe.

She's angry at herself, however, for the fact that Tucker is missing and that she didn't start searching for her immediately. Rowe was at the hospital with her father, who was on hospice, when Tucker managed to find a small gap in the fencing and escape. Her father died that night, and it was another day of dealing with funeral arrangements and other duties before Rowe could search in earnest.

In the days since Aug. 22, Rowe has distributed hundreds of flyers, kayaked up and down Forge Pond multiple times and walked thousands of steps searching for Tucker, who was believed to be a male turtle ... until she laid eggs in the yard.

"Now I call her Tanya Tucker, but mostly Tucker because she knows her name," Rowe said.

Red-eared sliders are not native to New Jersey, but they are common and can be found anywhere in the state, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection.

"Red-eared sliders are often found in still water with a muddy bottom and abundant vegetation. They can be seen basking on logs above water or on masses of floating plants, and they are occasionally seen out on the banks," a flyer from the NJDEP on turtle species says. They are active from April through September.

That's what has Rowe concerned. With the colder weather coming, it's possible Tucker will find a place to hibernate. But that isn't a guarantee that the turtle, which is about 16 years old and has been hand-fed and cared for by humans all its life, would survive.

Tucker was first seen on the utility road by holes 3 through 7 at the far east end of the Forge Pond course, a couple of blocks from Rowe's home, just days after she escaped.

"Nobody knew she was someone's missing pet then," Rowe said.

The sighting on Sunday gives her hope that Tucker hasn't gone into the water at Forge Pond yet, something she thought might have happened already. But the photos the workers sent raised other concerns about Tucker's health.

"She’s hand-fed and pet every day," Rowe said, and the turtle in the photos looked like it was in need of food and possibly veterinary care.

The sighting on Sunday was near the 12th hole at Forge Pond, under some brush near a bend in the course. Rowe said she is hoping golfers will be on the lookout for Tucker and if they see her, will call and text Rowe.

She also has a message for anyone who sees Tucker: "Please pick her up. She won’t bite you."

That will prevent Tucker from escaping again before Rowe can get there to retrieve her. She can be grasped at the back of her shell with fingers under the bottom of her body, Rowe said.

"Please don’t just leave her in the woods," Rowe said. She urged kayakers who see Tucker to do the same, pick her up and contain her until Rowe can get to them.

She acknowledged the possibility that the turtle or turtles that have been seen might not be Tucker.

"In my heart of hearts I feel this is her," Rowe said. "I just want people to know she’s a pet. Grab her."

"I've got to get her home and get her healthy," Rowe said. "I'm desperate."

Tucker has red stripes on her ears and a greenish hue shell with a fair yellow stripe on her shell. She responds to her name and moves quickly, and may move away from people out of fear. She loves raw meat, Rowe said.

Rowe can be reached at 732-814-3584. "My phone is always near me now," she said.