Rare endangered lobster nicknamed Clementine is saved from becoming lunch
Animal rights activists rushed to the rescue after an ‘ultra-rare’ lobster was spotted in a supermarket.
Employees at a Stop & Shop on Long Island spotted the rare lobster, named Clementime, in a shipment of the store and began tending to the crustacean.
In order to “save her for the pot,” the store tried to donate Clementine to the Long Island Aquarium, according to a Facebook post from Humane Long Island (HLI).
The aquarium went bankrupt, but then HLI members stepped in and released Clementine into the ocean earlier this week.
Employees saw an orange lobster at a Stop & Shop and contacted Humane Long Island (HLI)
In a Instagram videoJohn Di Leonardo, director of HLI, confirmed that Clementine is ‘one in 30 million lobsters born orange.’
Di Leonardo and other members of HIL managed to capture Clementine and nurse her back to health to return to sea.
“We bought a large saltwater aquarium to rehabilitate her in, we took her out to the ocean and she immediately started looking for food,” Di Leonardo said. NBC News.
After her release, Clementine went exploring the Long Island Sound.
“They all want to live a natural life in the wild. They don’t want to be cooked in someone’s pot or kept in a cramped aquarium,” Di Leonardo said.
After HIL intervened, John Di Leonardo and his team of experts cared for the crustacean and released it back into the wild earlier this week
According to Ryan Herman of Denver’s Downtown Aquarium, orange lobsters get their color from a genetic mutation that “affects and blocks encoded proteins.”
They are found in a variety of marine environments, including aquariums.
They can weigh over 40 pounds, grow over 3 feet long, and live up to 100 years.
“Lobsters are sensitive, intelligent animals that can travel up to 100 miles or more each year,” Di Leonardo said in his Facebook post.
‘Like all aquatic animals, lobsters will experience pain and suffering if removed from their natural ocean habitat to be eaten or if confined in cramped aquariums.’
Orange crayfish can eat a variety of foods, including vegetables, worms, and shrimp.
Orange lobsters get their color from a genetic mutation
Di Leonardo believes that cooking lobsters is unnecessary and advises animal lovers to eat vegan.
“We’ve saved over 200 animals this year, but saving 200 animals is as easy as not eating them,” he told NBC News.
“It’s never been easier to keep animals off your plate… You can buy vegan lobster rolls. You can go to the store and buy crab-free patties that you can heat up in the microwave.”