There was something obviously very different about one of the lobsters shipped to a Red Lobster restaurant in Hollywood, Florida. Employees immediately noticed the beautiful, bright orange color of the large marine crustacean, and they went on a mission to save its life. Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach in South Carolina answered the call and happily welcomed the extraordinary shellfish to her new home this week.
The Red Lobster and Ripley’s Aquarium teams affectionately named the orange lobster Cheddar, in a nod to the restaurant chain’s popular Cheddar Bay Biscuits. Orange lobsters like Cheddar are extremely rare – one-in-30 million – because their bright, unusual coloring makes them very attractive to predators.
“Sometimes ordinary miracles happen, and Cheddar is one of them,” said Mario Roque, a manager at Red Lobster who led the rescue effort. “A group of incredible people helped us make this possible. We are so honored to have been able to save Cheddar and find her a good home.”
“We are incredibly proud of Mario and the team for recognizing what a special and rare creature Cheddar is and for working relentlessly to find someone to rescue her,” said Nicole Bott, senior director of communications at Red Lobster. “It is an honor to provide Cheddar a new home where she can be enjoyed by many for years to come, all from the safety of her tank.”
Cheddar joins Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach as it celebrates its 25th anniversary. The company’s new Marine Science Research Center, where Cheddar is now acclimating, made waves earlier this year by producing the world’s first successful birth by artificial insemination of a sand tiger shark.
