In a remarkable coincidence, two “1-in-30 million” orange lobsters were rescued from separate Long Island supermarkets on Monday, just a week after another rare crustacean was saved from a Hamptons Stop & Shop.
The two female lobsters, affectionately named Tangerine and Navel, were spared from an uncertain fate in store water tanks and returned to the Long Island Sound, Humane Long Island announced on Tuesday.
A royal treatment
Unlike their less fortunate peers, Tangerine and Navel received royal treatment during their stay in the supermarket tanks. Media coverage of the first orange lobster’s release into the wild sparked a wave of calls from customers who spotted the similarly colored crustaceans in local stores. “It was delightful to rescue so many back-to-back,” Humane Long Island’s John Di Leonardo told The Post on Tuesday.
The first of the newly rescued lobsters was found at a Stop & Shop in East Setauket, while the second was spotted at Northport Fish & Lobster. Humane Long Island reported that both lobsters were well-fed during their time in captivity, a stark contrast to their non-orange counterparts. Di Leonardo noted that the Stop & Shop even went the extra mile by removing the bands from their lobster’s claws.
Genetic rarity
Human Long Island attributed the lobsters’ distinctive orange coloring to a rare hereditary mutation. “I checked with the stores, all the stores said none of them ever had an orange one before, so according to them, the rarity holds up,” Di Leonardo explained. He surmised that the trio of lobsters likely came from the same family, arriving at different locations around the same time in early July.
A video posted online captures the heartwarming moment when Di Leonardo, assisted by his nephew, waded into the water to release the lobsters back into the sea. Reflecting on the rescue, Di Leonardo said, “It always makes me feel good to do this rescue work, but we know it’s just a drop in the bucket.”
A call to action
“These lobsters are three in a trillion, so that’s why we’re trying to drive home the message no one should eat any lobster no matter their coloring,” Di Leonardo emphasized.
The rare rescues have not only highlighted the unique beauty of these creatures but also raised awareness about the broader implications of consuming lobsters.
This extraordinary series of rescues underscores the importance of humane treatment and conservation efforts, reminding us that even the rarest creatures deserve a chance at life.