Red Lobster delivered rare orange lobster

By Neydja Petithomme

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    ASHEVILLE, North Carolina (WLOS) — In Asheville, a Red Lobster laid their hands on one of the rarest orange lobsters that is nearly impossible to find.

James Hudson, a General Manager at Red Lobster, says that he is still in shock on the discovery of a rare orange lobster.

“It’s always a great day that we can one of nature’s rare thing and save it and preserve it and send it to Ripley’s aquarium. This weekend our regular lobster delivery, we got an orange lobster, and it is a very rare thing to come through,” he said.

Genetic mutations can lead to lobsters that are different colors. You may be familiar with blue lobsters, which are 1 out of every 2 million, but to find a lobster like this is only 1 in 30 million, Hudson said.

Hudson said the orange lobster is weighing at a pound in a quarter.

The orange lobster is now located at The Ripley’s Aquarium in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The Ripley’s Aquarium already has one other orange lobster, and this new one will be the second.

“It’s joined one other orange lobster, so there will be a pair of orange lobsters together to be studied and followed. They came through the mountains and it’s staying in the mountain,” Hudson said.

Across the country, there was a similar case. The orange lobster in Denver is named “Crush.” Crush was named after the Denver Broncos’ legendary orange crush defense team of the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Earlier this week, Crush arrived at a Red Lobster in Pueblo-Colorado. An employee at Red Lobster was about to quickly recognize the rarity of this special creature.

“As soon as we realized how rare Crush was, we started reaching out to local Colorado zoos and aquariums to see if anyone was set up and equipped to take over this this beautiful animal. We started trying to find a zoo or an aquarium here in Colorado that would take him in right away,” said Kendra Kastendieck, who is the general manager, Red Lobster in Pueblo.

The Denver Aquarium gladly welcomed Crush. The lobster is currently under a 30-day quarantine period before being put on public display.

“We are so thankful that the Denver aquarium is willing to take him on. He’s going to live a long life now,” Kastendieck said.

It’s safe to say that these rare orange lobsters have now been given a second chance at life.

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