A report was filed with Will County Sheriff's Department after the $17,000 tractor was stolen during the overnight hours April 16 from the exotic animal shelter located on Offner Road near Route 1 in Beecher. It was taken from a locked barn, and the lock was cut off, shelter workers say.
Shelter workers say the tractor was used to haul feed and water. So now they have to manually haul around 150 pounds of water and 75 pounds of hay.
"It almost doubles the amount of time it takes to care for the animals," said Faith Spivey of Settler's Pond Animal Shelter.
The shelter also works with several police departments and sheriff's departments on abused or abandoned animal cases as well as wildlife capture and rehab, Spivey said.
The shelter cares for 350 animals, such as camels, zebras, kangaroos, tortoises, marmosets, emus to cats and dogs on 60 acres.
