ISLAND PARK, N.Y. — A 130-year-old lobster was given a pardon Wednesday and has returned to the ocean.
“Larry the Lobster” was held in captivity in a tank for 30 years at Peter’s Clam bar in Island Park. He’s now getting a second chance to live freely.
But he’s been part of the community for more than 30 years.
Now its a new world for this 20-pound sea creature.
As part of National Lobster month, Larry is given a political pardon by the Town of Hempstead.
“Our message in Hempstead Town is why eat a lobster when you can save one,” says Town Supervisor Anthony Santino.
Its Larry’s walking papers to head back into the ocean, and to be scratched off the menu.
A big honor for a guy who was born when the Statue of Liberty was unveiled in New York.
“It became to big for us to keep him, said Butch Yamali, owner of Peter’s Clam bar. “He survived three owners here at the bar.”
The return to the wild for Larry came with a big ceremony as he was escorted to his natural sea world habitat to live his remaining years.
“We figured out he was 130 years old by weighing him and checking out the lines on the back.
Larry’s caretakers aren’t too worried for him. They feel once he’s fully back in the wild, he’ll start reproducing and will quickly adjust to hunting for his own food.
Experts say Larry could live in the wild another 30 to 50 years if he’s not recaptured.
