150 online
 
Most Popular Choices
Share on Facebook 23 Printer Friendly Page More Sharing Summarizing
Life Arts    H3'ed 2/7/09

A sea change in thinking about sea animals

By Paula Moore  Posted by People For The Ethical Treatment Of Animals (about the submitter)       (Page 1 of 1 pages)   5 comments

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
Follow Me on Twitter     Message People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals

Feel-good stories about centenarians are nothing new, but a recent harrowing tale with a happy ending about one long-lived fellow named George may have taken some readers by surprise. George was abducted from his home in Newfoundland, Canada, taken to New York City, where he was imprisoned in a small enclosure for 10 days, and then, after his captors had a change of heart, released in Maine. George was last seen swimming to freedom.  

Did I mention that George is a 20-pound, 140-year-old lobster? The old-timer got his second chance at life when the folks at Manhattan’s City Crab and Seafood—where George had been confined to a tank—agreed to let PETA return him to the sea.

 

While no animal deserves to be kept in a tiny tank or boiled alive, surely any lobster who has avoided being trapped almost since the Civil War has earned the right to live out his days in freedom and peace.

 

Lobsters are fascinating animals who, like George, can live to be more than 100 years old, recognize individual lobsters, remember past acquaintances, have elaborate courtship rituals and help guide young lobsters across the ocean floor by holding claws in a line that can stretch for many yards. And although theories abound, no one has ever come up with a satisfactory way to give lobsters a painless death.

 

A study in New Scientist gives chefs who insist that crustaceans cannot feel pain “claws” for concern. When researchers at Queen’s University in Belfast daubed acetic acid on the antennae of 144 prawns, the animals reacted by vigorously rubbing and grooming the affected antenna for several minutes. Dr. Robert Elwood says that his study shows that prawns and their crustacean cousins, lobsters and crabs, are sensitive to pain.

 

Even before the New Scientist study, the European Food Safety Authority’s Scientific Panel on Animal Health and Welfare had concluded that lobsters and crabs are capable of experiencing pain and distress and are worthy of legislative protection.

 

Lobsters also just might be a little smarter than many people give them credit for. University of New Hampshire zoologist Win Watson dropped a lobster trap rigged with a camera into the water and discovered lobsters wandering in and out of traps at will. Most lobsters go into the traps, grab a bite of food and then swim right back out.

 

In late 2007, dozens of lobsters—destined to be boiled alive—in an Asian supermarket in Germany made a break for it. Sometime during the night, the lobsters crawled out of their poorly secured crates, scampered across the floor and squeezed through metal shutters at the front of the store and out onto the street.

 

The cunning crustaceans were eventually apprehended, but their daring escape saved their lives: They were taken to an animal sanctuary.

 

So, the next time you see a lobster waving his antennae at you from a murky grocery store tank, don’t just pass him by: He could be signaling an SOS. Not all of us will have the opportunity to help an old-timer like George, but we can all make a difference simply by keeping crustaceans—and other animals—off our plates.

 

Paula Moore is a senior writer for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), 501 Front St., Norfolk, VA 23510; www.LobsterLib.com.

Must Read 1   Well Said 1   Valuable 1  
Rate It | View Ratings

People For The Ethical Treatment Of Animals Social Media Pages: Facebook page url on login Profile not filled in       Twitter page url on login Profile not filled in       Linkedin page url on login Profile not filled in       Instagram page url on login Profile not filled in

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), with 6.5 million members and supporters, is the largest animal rights organization in the world. PETA focuses its attention on the four areas in which the largest numbers of animals suffer the (more...)
 

Go To Commenting
The views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
Follow Me on Twitter     Writers Guidelines

 
Contact EditorContact Editor
Support OpEdNews

OpEdNews depends upon can't survive without your help.

If you value this article and the work of OpEdNews, please either Donate or Purchase a premium membership.

STAY IN THE KNOW
If you've enjoyed this, sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to get lots of great progressive content.
Daily Weekly     OpEd News Newsletter
Name
Email
   (Opens new browser window)
 

Most Popular Articles by this Author:     (View All Most Popular Articles by this Author)

Dolphins in tanks: Cruel confinement

Don't turn your back on feral cats

Protecting animals protects everyone

What a horrific cruelty case can teach us

To View Comments or Join the Conversation:

Tell A Friend