A rare orange lobster, with a probability of 1 in 30 million, survived for nearly two months in the water tank of a Stop & Shop store in Long Island, New York, before being rescued.
According to the New York Post, the lobster, named Clementine, was caught in a trap along with other lobsters. It was transferred to a supermarket in the Hamptons in early July.
After two months living in the store’s tank, Clementine was finally lucky enough to be rescued and released back into Long Island Bay.
John Di Leonardo, an anthropologist and executive director of the organization Humane Long Island, stated in an interview on August 28: “If they hadn’t found a solution, its fate would have ended up like the other lobsters.”
“This is a testament to the survival will of this lobster species,” he added.
The orange lobster is treated specially at the store.
When the orange lobster arrived at Stop & Shop, the seafood department manager immediately recognized that it was very special. Most lobsters are brown or gray, while this one is bright orange.
Di Leonardo noted that initially, this manager sought to free the lobster by contacting a local aquarium to see if their staff would agree to take it in, but this effort was unsuccessful.
During its nearly two months at the store, the lobster was treated like a lucky mascot, fed differently from other lobsters, and even given a nickname, “Pinky,” by the manager’s young daughter.
A spokesperson for Stop & Shop stated: “When we discovered the special lobster, our South Hampton store team quickly sought a local organization that could care for it.”
The store collaborated with Humane Long Island to have them pick up the lobster, take it to one of their conservation sites, and then release it back into the wild.
Di Leonardo mentioned that he contacted Stop & Shop earlier this month. “We did not intend to buy it, nor do we ever encourage people to buy it, so we asked Stop & Shop to donate it, and they agreed,” he explained.
Di Leonardo noted that the orange lobster is an intelligent and sensitive species. After being cared for by Humane Long Island, it was soaked in cold saltwater before staff released it off the North Shore.
The staff remained with Clementine for about an hour until they were sure the lobster had safely adapted to its new environment.
