PETA Denies 140 Yr Old Lobster from Making Kids Happy

Photo Courtesy AP/Shawn Patrick Ouellette

City Crab and Seafood on Park Avenue scored a big find a couple weeks ago when they were able to purchase a 20 pound lobster caught off the coast of Canada for $100. A lobster at that weight (rarely caught so big because baskets generally can't contain them) means that it was probably around 140 years old. Manager Keith Valenti said, "I've been here for 12 years, and that's the biggest lobster I've ever seen." The restaurant named the lobster George and had him acting as an unofficial mascot, posing for pictures with children.

But apparently not all of City Crab's patrons were reveling in the crustacean celebration. A couple of phone calls were made and PETA was on City Crab's lobster tail. PETA petitioned that the restaurant to release George back into the ocean and City Crab says they were happy to comply. PETA's president Ingrid Newkirk told the press, "We applaud the folks at City Crab and Seafood for their compassionate decision to allow this noble old-timer to live out his days in freedom and peace."

PETA reps drove George up to Maine where he was returned to the ocean. It's unconfirmed if Michael Jackson's "Will You Be There" played in the background. PETA says the next step is to "ban catching lobsters completely."

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Billy Parker in Food, News on January 11, 2009 1:11 PM

Comments [rss]

mdow

the inability of some people to respect something that has been alive for 140 years, and to not think it should be able to live out the rest of its days in peace, well, that's just special.

thank you, city crab, for doing the right thing.

donnymandible

Nice job PETA. You couldn't even get him all the way home to Canada. I know you think all lobsters like to live in Maine, but this guy is old and could probably use the free healthcare. This is essentially like finding an 80 year old man from long island being abused, rescuing him, and then dropping him off in South Jersey.

Kyle T

It's CLAWbberin' time!

smitty

i dunno, I think that the lobster should be able to live the rest of its life in peace in the ocean. that's where lobsters belong.

r1b2

Nice gesture. Not that newsworthy, but nice.

snoopydog

I don't see a lot of Jewish people having a problem with releasing old George. That's a positive for Israel.

Karen Dawn

Hey Scout, the Gothamist isn't complaining that PETA is depriving children from eating George -- just from getting to see him up close and pose for pictures. Whether or not one should eat animals isn't the issue here -- it's just a good red herring, so to speak : )

Clarice City

George looks like he would tase great with some melted butter.

NannyState

Eww, 140 yr.old lobster meat. Ickypoo.

Uncle Fatlips

I'd think PETA would have bigger fish to fry (pardon the pun). With all these animals homeless in this country? You'd think they would be fighting for stricter laws concerning pet ownership and abandonement. Get your priorities straight people.

thefacts

Next on PETA's agenda is the banning of root vegetables. Does anyone realize the pain a radish suffers when it is uprooted?

babyhitler

shrabster.

Karen Dawn

"We teach the child not to harm the butterfly for the sake of the child as much as for the butterfly."

----- Ric O'Barry

On this issue of releasing a lobster that has survived approximately 140 years so far, PETA definitely has it right. The Gothamist's chosen heading for the article seems like it is from the dark ages. Thank heavens the vast majority of media celebrated the story, and the odd tone of the Gothamist's piece was the exception. We are, slowly but surely, making progress in our attitudes towards our relationship with the beautiful Earth and with the other species on the planet. Hopefully the Gothamist will soon move into the 21st century and celebrate loving dominion over the earth and animals -- which doesn't include dragging animals from the sea and keeping them in little tanks so that children can pose for photos with them.

Scout1

I'm pretty sure our relationship with the beautiful Earth and its species has always involved us eating them since the beginning of time.

mdow

the inability of some people to respect something that has been alive for 140 years, and to not think it should be able to live out the rest of its days in peace, well, that's just special.

thank you, city crab, for doing the right thing.

mdow

hmm, yeah, um, humans have been around since the beginning of time. right.

snoopydog

Why didn't they just turn old George over to the New York Aquarium?

PETA is just as stupid as that Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation. Every little thing annoys them. It's a damn crustacean for god's sake, not a little Biafran child.

nyrangers

i love peta. go vegan!

longacre

How do we know these PETA drones didn't drive George to Pam Anderson's house and drop him in a pot?

chopp3r

And while we're on the subject of lobsters, those Subway ads? WTF? Who thought it was a good idea to illustrate the idea of a queue at a sandwich joint with a giant lobster with a huge ugly angry Chinese guy's head at the end? I know it's supposed to be a dragon, but does that explain the Chinese guy? Is it a Lunar New Year tie-in? Someone please explain it to me.