Illus. by Sharon McEachern
This story is an everyday lesson in ethics.
Sometimes people show their love and compassion for animals more than people. But this time Pete Chevalier, owner of Gardner's Seafood in Wickford, R.I., isn't going to let that happen.
Pete has an approx. 65-year-old lobster in his seafood tanks that weighs a whopping 20.6 pounds. And he's tied the fate of the lobster, named "Wickford Willie," to whether or not people donate to the local food bank. If they will donate $2,500 to the food bank, then Pete promises he will let Willie go. If they don't come through and help hungry people, "a very important cause in the heart of a very cold winter," then Pete says he will boil Willie alive.
BOIL WILLIE ALIVE
Jeez! Such a threat isn't really necessary, is it?
Maybe not. But it is true that people often care for animals more than people. For example, a few years ago, there was a story of a woman jogging in southern California who was killed by a mountain lion. The fund for the slain cougar's orphaned pups received more donations than the fund for the woman's orphaned children. (Read more here.)
So, I think Pete Chevalier is very clever and putting into practice some everyday ethics.
A few weeks ago a similar incident occurred in New York City at City Crab and Seafood restaurant, where another huge lobster named "George" was sitting in the restaurant's tank. Two customers alerted People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), who negotiated for the release of George.
"We applaud the folks at City Crab and Seafood for their compassionate decision to allow this noble old-timer to live out his days in freedom and peace." PETA President Ingrid Newkirk told the Gothamist. "We hope that their kind gesture serves as an example that these intriguing animals don't deserve to be confined to tiny tanks or boiled alive."
Now back to Rhode Island ...Right after Willie arrived at Pete's place, one of his employees left a printout on his desk about the New York eatery letting a big lobster go. "I thought, 'I'll let him go, but I will do one better. I'll hold him ransom first to create money for the local food bank,' " Chevalier told the Jamestown (RI) Press.
YOU GO PETE!
I like this guy! He's going to save the old lobster's life and help others in the process.
"I know in this day and age times are tough, but that is exactly why we need to be doing this. We can do it," he said. "I've already had people offer to buy him. And, not so they can free him."
When Willie is ransomed, Chevalier plans to release the lobster in the waters off of Hope Island, "so he will have hope."
Originally caught in the George's Banks area of Canada and then brought and sold to Pete Chevalier in Rhode Island, Willie would have been an illegal keep in Rhode Island waters because of his size. In Rhode Island, lobsters must be no more than 7 inches from their eye socket to the back of their body. Willie is more than 8 inches. Lobsters only grow about an eighth of an inch each year, so Willie is about 10 years too old to be caught there.
HELP OUT A LITTLE
If you would like to help free Willie and feed the hungry, you can visit Gardner's Wharf website. Or contact your own local food bank and offer your help.
Hell, use Pete's campaign as an model, go and find some wildlife in trouble from your area to ransom for food for people. It's just a great idea. It appeals to people's sympathetic side and compassion. It helps save an animal's life and feed the hungry. It lets us be good role models for our children.and teach them some everyday ethics. And it allows us to feel good about ourselves. Can't get much better than that. This is a feel-good story that inspires!
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