Rare ‘One-In-30-Million’ Orange Lobster Saved From Seafood Restaurant

A rare orange lobster has been saved from the popular seafood chain Red Lobster after employees noticed its unusual hue.

The lobster, nicknamed Cheddar, came from a boat fishing in the Northern Atlantic. While fishermen usually throw back unusual specimens like Cheddar, it’s easy for one to fall through the cracks and end up on someone’s dinner plate.

The rare, one-in-30 million orange lobster eventually found itself in a seafood tank among other normal-colored lobsters at the Red Lobster in Hollywood, Florida.

Photo: Instagram/@ripleysmyrtlebeach

While most lobsters that end up in Cheddar’s position are painfully boiled alive, the employees recognized that Cheddar might be something special and decided to spare him.

In the wild, it doesn’t pay to be an off-colored specimen like Cheddar. Being bright orange would make him an easy target for predators and likely shorten his lifespan significantly. But being in a seafood setting, his unusual color saved him from the agonizing death that boiled lobsters experience!

According to a Red Lobster press release, Cheddar was given to Ripley’s Aquarium in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

The aquarium also shared the news on Instagram, showing employees picking the lobster up from the restaurant:

In the press release, Mario Roque, a Red Lobster manager who helped save Cheddar, said: “Sometimes ordinary miracles happen, and Cheddar is one of them. A group of incredible people helped us make this possible. We are so honored to have been able to save Cheddar and find her a good home.”

According to Delish, some animal welfare groups, like PETA, have advocated for Cheddar to be released back into the wild, but others recognize that Cheddar would likely die early as a result of his unusual coloring.

Photo: Instagram/@ripleysmyrtlebeach

As of now, Ripley’s plans on keeping Cheddar in its new Marine Science Research Center, where he’ll have a forever home in an aquarium habitat.

It’s always nice to hear of an animal being saved from a grim fate. To help save other lobsters like Cheddar, you can avoid eating boiled lobster or lobster dishes. Lowering the demand for lobster can help save individuals that would otherwise be boiled and killed.

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