One of the “rarest lobsters on the planet” just came through a Red Lobster delivery. Now, the calico beauty will now live a life of luxury at Virginia Living Museum.
As far as lobsters go, there are quite a few remarkable variations. Chances are, fellow Outsiders have seen a story focusing on a split-colored specimen (where their shell coloration is split directly down the middle). Or perhaps you caught our previous coverage of the incredibly rare yellow lobster?
After these abnormalities, a calico lobster is another of the rarest lobster-kind there is. Calicos are 1 in 30 million for their species. Thankfully, one Virginia Red Lobster employee knew this, and separated a calico once it came into the restaurant.
The spotty fellow is now “Freckles” thanks to the Manassas Red Lobster staff. He came in as part of a normal, everyday delivery via Maine. Fantastically, however, Red Lobster has a “support team” to handle these occurrences. Once the crustacean was confirmed as a true, incredibly rare calico, the Virginia restaurant was put in contact with the Virginia Living Museum’s aquarium.
Now, thanks to Red Lobster’s commitment to preserving their titular food source, Freckles will live out his life at said museum receiving world-class care around the clock.
Red Lobster’s Surprising Commitment to Marine Life
“We see [Freckles’ move] as an opportunity to share nature’s anomaly with guests,” explains Chris Crippen in a statement. Crippen, the Virginia Living Museum’s Senior Director of Animal Welfare and Conservation, says the goal is to “continue important education about sustainable seafood practices and significant conservation efforts of the American lobster fishery.”
On one hand, it is easy to think this crustacean should return to the wild to live out his days. Calico lobsters, however, very rarely survive in the wild. Their spotty, brightly-colored shells make them easily spotted (no pun intended). As a result, predators typically make short work of these rare beauties. Freckles is sure to be happier (being alive) in his new aquarium home.
Once the rare gent completes a veterinary evaluation, then his 30-day quarantine, he will join the museum’s public exhibit in thier Chesapeake Bay Gallery, cites Good News Network Wednesday.
All of this is possible via Red Lobster’s partnership with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program. The fantastic program’s full commitment is to the sustainability of seafood and healthier oceans. The Virginia Living Museum, too, is a partner, which led to Freckles’ rescue.
While it may seem odd at first for the restaurant to be a conservation entity, hunting for food and conservation are one and the same when executed correctly. If we’ve learned anything from this story, it’s that Red Lobster is committed to healthier oceans for the present and future. And that calicos are the prettiest of all crustaceans, of course. We almost feel bad for all those beautiful rare blue lobsters out there!
