Three Rare Orange Lobsters Rescued, Released in New York, Connecticut

Three extraordinarily rare orange lobsters, nicknamed Peaches, Sebastian, and Clawdia, were rescued from seafood tanks at ShopRite stores in Bay Shore, Long Island, and Wallingford, Connecticut, and released back into the Long Island Sound by the animal advocacy group Humane Long Island. These lobsters display a genetic anomaly causing their orange coloration, which is estimated to occur in only about 1 in 30 million lobsters, making their rescue and return to the wild a remarkable event. The lobsters were spotted through social media posts by store employees and alerted to Humane Long Island by a Good Samaritan, leading to their donation and rehabilitation before release. John Di Leonardo, executive director of Humane Long Island, highlighted that while these rare lobsters are often caught and sold, they and their relatives deserve a chance to live free, and the group encourages people to avoid buying lobsters to release them improperly. The organization also calls on the public to help locate more of these rare orange lobsters, as the coloration is hereditary and related individuals often appear in different locations. Humane Long Island also promotes vegan options as a way to protect marine life, encouraging alternatives to lobster consumption for celebrations like the Fourth of July.