‘Ultra rare’ orange lobster returned to ocean after ending up in New York supermarket
An “ultra rare” orange lobster has been returned to the sea after ending up in a supermarket’s seafood section.
The lobster, later named Clementine, arrived at a store in Long Island, New York, in early July, and immediately stood out among a group of traditional brown lobsters.
With just one in 30 million lobsters being naturally orange, the rare crustacean became something of an attraction in the seafood section, according to animal advocacy group Humane Long Island.
Pic: Humane Long Island
The store’s owner reached out to an aquarium to take Clementine in, but it declined the offer.
That is when Southampton Animal Shelter stepped in, calling in Humane Long Island to secure the lobster’s safe release.
Working with the store, the animal advocacy group got Clementine back into the sea on Tuesday.
John Di Leonardo, executive director of Humane Long Island, told Sky News’ US partner NBC News: “We got ourselves a big saltwater tank to rehab her in, we brought her down to the ocean, and she immediately began foraging.”
Clementine blends in with her saltwater tank. Pic: Humane Long Island
“She was ready to go as soon as she saw the ocean,” Mr Di Leonardo added.
The group said they put her in a cold saltwater tank shortly before dropping her in, at the advice of a veterinarian.
“Within hours, Clementine was swimming, foraging, and exploring the Long Island Sound, playfully following us around before disappearing into the ocean depths where she’ll travel as far as 100 miles or more each year,” the group said in a news release.
Read more US news from Sky News:
Has the Nike trainer bubble burst?
What is the EEE virus – and why is it closing parks in the US?
Mr Di Leonardo said lobsters like Clementine deserve to live freely.
“They all want to live natural lives in the wild,” he said.
“They don’t want to boil in someone’s pot or stay in a cramped aquarium.”
Lobsters often appear a shade of bright red or orange when cooked, but while alive can come in a variety of colours, including, most commonly, a mottled brown or a deep blue.
Their colour changes because of a pigment called astaxanthin, which is stored in their skin underneath their hard shell.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
There are layers of lobster colours stored under the shell, according to the American Chemical Society, which includes red skin at the bottom, a layer of blue pigment in the shell’s bottom layer, and orange on the outside of the shell.
These break down when lobsters are cooked, leaving just the bright red skin visible.
Dozens of supporters were outside court as the man accused of fatally shooting the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare made his first appearance.
Luigi Mangione has pleaded not guilty to multiple counts of murder following the 4 December killing of Brian Thompson, 50, outside a midtown Manhattan hotel.
The 26-year-old is accused of ambushing and shooting the executive as he walked to an investor conference.
Luigi Mangione supporters stand outside the Supreme Court. Pic: AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah
Dozens of people who showed up in court to support the suspect including former army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning who was jailed for stealing classified diplomatic cables.
Dozens more queued in the hallway.
Mangione is also facing federal charges that could carry the possibility of the death penalty.
The judge set a deadline of 9 April to submit pre-trial motions.
Luigi Mangione is accused of fatally shooting Brian Thompson. Pic: Steven Hirsch/New York Post via AP
In addition to the New York cases, Mr Mangione also faces charges of forgery, carrying firearms without a licence, and other counts in Pennsylvania, where authorities arrested him at a McDonald’s.
Police say he was in possession of a gun, bullets, multiple fake IDs and a handwritten document that expressed “ill will” towards corporate America.
He is being held in a Brooklyn jail alongside several other high-profile defendants, including music mogul and rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs, and disgraced crypto entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried.
The killing prompted some to voice their resentment at US health insurers, with Mangione attracting a cult following.
A poll taken in the wake of the shooting showed most Americans believe health insurance profits and coverage denials were partly to blame for the incident.
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports11 months agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports1 year agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports3 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business2 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway