Supermarket nets rare orange lobster

A supermarket in Trois-Rivires, Que., is now the temporary home of a rare orange lobster that looks fully cooked.

The lobster came with a regular shipment two weeks ago.

Ghislain Renaud, who works at the IGA Jean-XXIII's fish department, said he thought it was a joke when he opened the newly arrived crate of live lobsters and spotted one that was bright orange and not any of the usual shades of green or brown.

"I didn't even know orange lobsters existed," he said. "I thought it was cooked."

Renaud called the Quebec Aquarium and found out just how lucky he was to have received the rarelobster.

Only one in about 10 million has the same natural shell colour. The rest need to be cooked to get it.

Renaud, once a Montreal Expos fan, named the lobster Youppi after the ginger mascot of theformer baseball club, now the mascot of the Montreal Canadiens.

Youppi won't be sold anytime soon and the supermarket is trying to find a new home for it.

Renaud would like the lobster to stay in the area and is waiting to see if the Centre de la Diversit Biologique du Qubec in nearby Bcancour can accommodate it.

If not, the crustacean will likely go to the New Brunswick Aquarium and Marine Centre in Shippagan.

Until then, Youppi is being fed a steady diet of shrimp in his IGA holding tank.