Earlier this summer, workers at a grocery store in Long Island received their regular shipment of lobsters. Among the typical greenish-brown lobsters they were used to seeing every day, one lobster’s bright orange shell made her stand out from the rest.
Everyone at the grocery store was instantly fascinated by the lobster — they’d never seen anything like her before.
Orange lobsters are, in fact, extremely rare. For every 30 million lobsters, there will only be one who’s orange. That makes them even more rare than elusive blue lobsters, who are about one in two million. Orange lobsters’ unusual coloring is due to a genetic mutation.
When Humane Long Island heard about the rare lobster who’d wound up at a grocery store, they knew they had to help. They reached out to the store, who agreed to let the organization rescue the lobster and release her back into the ocean.
Humane Long Island decided to name her Clementine after her brilliant orange hue. They wanted to make sure Clementine was healthy and strong before letting her go, so they consulted a veterinarian, who recommended they place her in a special cold saltwater tank to get her reacclimated to her natural environment.
Before long, she was ready to return to her aquatic home. Humane Long Island carried her to the beach and placed her gently into the water. The moment they released her, she began swimming away.
“It was nice meeting you,” a member of Humane Long Island said in an Instagram video. “Good luck, buddy!”
Humane Long Island emphasized that all lobsters, regardless of whether they have a uniquely colored shell, are more special than most people might realize. Left unbothered, they can live to be over one hundred years old.
“Lobsters are sensitive, intelligent animals who can travel as far as 100 miles or more each year,” the organization wrote on Facebook.
Thanks to the grocery store workers who decided to give her a second chance and to Humane Long Island who returned her to the ocean, Clementine will get to live a full life. With any luck, she’ll make it to a hundred.