An Unshellfish Act Of Kindness
Lobsters all around the worlds oceans have cause to celebrate this morning, at the news that one of their kind, a 140 year old lobster by the name of Craig has been released. To the fish world this unexpected news is equivalent, in human terms, to the release of Nelson Mandela. Craig has been exhibited to customers in an aquarium at Halu Japanese Restaurant & Grill in Brooklyn, New York. Craig, a 20lb crustacean, was shipped by the restaurant's owners to Maine where he was released into the sea on Saturday. The announcement, made on Friday, means that Craig will swim free in the Atlantic Ocean instead of ending his days boiled in a pot. He should be safe there as local laws forbid taking lobsters above a certain size. The news was welcomed by Ingrid Newkirk, president of the animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), who said in a statement "Kudos to Halu for allowing Craig to live out the rest of his days in his native habitat". PETA has organized a campaign to liberate restaurant lobsters and avoid them from being thrown alive into a pot of boiling water. According to invertebrate zoologist Jaren Horsley, lobsters have a "sophisticated nervous system" and feel "a great deal of pain" when cut or cooked alive. I love stories of compassion like this, let's hope King Neptune will see fit to bestow a knighthood on Craig. He deserves it!
Lobsters all around the worlds oceans have cause to celebrate this morning, at the news that one of their kind, a 140 year old lobster by the name of Craig has been released. To the fish world this unexpected news is equivalent, in human terms, to the release of Nelson Mandela. Craig has been exhibited to customers in an aquarium at Halu Japanese Restaurant & Grill in Brooklyn, New York. Craig, a 20lb crustacean, was shipped by the restaurant's owners to Maine where he was released into the sea on Saturday. The announcement, made on Friday, means that Craig will swim free in the Atlantic Ocean instead of ending his days boiled in a pot. He should be safe there as local laws forbid taking lobsters above a certain size. The news was welcomed by Ingrid Newkirk, president of the animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), who said in a statement "Kudos to Halu for allowing Craig to live out the rest of his days in his native habitat". PETA has organized a campaign to liberate restaurant lobsters and avoid them from being thrown alive into a pot of boiling water. According to invertebrate zoologist Jaren Horsley, lobsters have a "sophisticated nervous system" and feel "a great deal of pain" when cut or cooked alive. I love stories of compassion like this, let's hope King Neptune will see fit to bestow a knighthood on Craig. He deserves it!
