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This 110-Year-Old Lobster Was Moments Away From Becoming Dinner

The restaurant owner thought it was all a joke at first.

This is Larry the lobster. He's very large, very old, and very lucky to be alive thanks to an intervention from some animal lovers.

A lobster so big and so old is a rare sight, so Melluso and Larry ended up making the local news.

The segment caught the attention of a local man who reserved Larry for a family feast. But it also caught the attention of iRescue Wildlife, an animal rescue organization that was determined to spare the giant crustacean his delicious fate.

The organization called up Tin Fish, but no one took them seriously at first. "I thought it was a joke," said Melluso. "I thought it was just an upset customer."

The next morning, Melluso helped pack Larry up with ice packs and an ocean water-soaked towel. His destination was the Maine State Aquarium, to live out his days near where he was caught.

"It felt really good," said Melluso. "It was really nice to see the people’s care and concern that were involved."

As for Larry, he's still en route to Maine.

UPDATE: Sadly, Larry did not survive his journey to Maine.

The Press Herald reports Larry was dead when he was unpacked at the aquarium.

RIP Larry.