Jennifer Vargas holds up a freakishly large lobster
that was saved from the kitchen
A freakishly large lobster destined for the pot has instead
found a new home in - where else? - Coney Island.
The colossal crustacean went on exhibit this week at the New
York Aquarium, thanks to a seafood company worker who decided it
was too big for dinner.
The lobster was caught weeks ago off the coast of Canada and
sent in a 2-ton shipment to the New England Lobster Co. in San
Francisco.
The firm's bookkeeper, Jennifer Vargas, set out to save its life
when it weighed in at 18 pounds and was estimated to be 75 years
old.
"This seemed like a [lousy] way to go," Vargas said. "A lot of
the customers were interested in him - the problem was they didn't
have a pot big enough."
Her boss said she could find him a home, and the New York
Aquarium, run by the Wildlife Conservation Society, responded to an
online posting.
Visitors have been amazed. "Look at the claws on him. It's like
something out of a science fiction movie," said Patrick Moffa, 52,
of Astoria, Queens.
Aquarium Director Jon Dohlin said the still-growing lobster is a
crowd-pleaser.
"He radiates a certain charisma," he said proudly, "a crustacean
charisma."