Freckles the lobster, saved from sad demise at a Red Lobster, now the star of museum

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) — Freckles the lobster wasn’t destined to be served up next to a delicious basket of Cheddar Bay Biscuits.

The extremely rare Calico lobster is now at the Virginia Living Museum in Newport News, Virginia, after being discovered at a Red Lobster in Manassas, Virginia.

Restaurant staff discovered the orange and black speckled lobster and decided it was best for Freckles to head to the museum for the world to see. Only 1 in 30 million lobsters in the world have his special shell, because having bright colors isn’t the best way to hide from predators.

*Virginia Living Museum staff work to transport Freckles from his tank at Red Lobster.*

“We take great pride in our conservation efforts and strive to create strong partnerships in our community,” said Chris Crippen, Virginia Living Museum’s Senior Director of Animal Welfare and Conservation. “Red Lobster reached out to the AZA network — of which we are a proud member — to provide a home for this rare and beautiful animal. We see this as an opportunity to share nature’s anomaly with guests, as well as continue important education about sustainable seafood practices and significant conservation efforts of the American lobster fishery.”

Crippen and Aquarium Curator Patrycja Lawryniuk picked up Freckles last Thursday.

Visitors will be able to see Freckles after a short evaluation and quarantine.