Bubba, the 23-pound lobster that caught national attention when he was spared the cooking pot, died yesterday, nearly 24 hours after his transfer to Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium.
An aquarium spokeswoman said that the lobster became lethargic during the day and never ate the food that was offered to him. He died at about 3 p.m. A necropsy will be performed, but the cause of Bubba's death may never be determined. "We knew it was a risk to take him," said spokeswoman Connie George. "We thought we would be the best people to take him for the time being."
Wholey's in the Strip District acquired the giant lobster Thursday and had offered him for sale. One bidder offered $500 to save him and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals lobbied to have him returned to the ocean.
Robert Wholey III decided to donate Bubba to PPG Aquarium, which planned to monitor the lobster for a week or so before sending him to a Ripley's aquarium.
"Unbelievable," Wholey said when he learned of Bubba's death. "He left here happy, alive and kicking."
Some thought Bubba could be 100 years old, but experts estimated his age to have been between 30 and 40.
Joe Choromanski, vice president of husbandry for Ripley's Aquariums, said he had concerns about the lobster's health, but had been hopeful that the "rescue mission," as he put it, would succeed.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05062/465527.stm
An aquarium spokeswoman said that the lobster became lethargic during the day and never ate the food that was offered to him. He died at about 3 p.m. A necropsy will be performed, but the cause of Bubba's death may never be determined. "We knew it was a risk to take him," said spokeswoman Connie George. "We thought we would be the best people to take him for the time being."
Wholey's in the Strip District acquired the giant lobster Thursday and had offered him for sale. One bidder offered $500 to save him and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals lobbied to have him returned to the ocean.
Robert Wholey III decided to donate Bubba to PPG Aquarium, which planned to monitor the lobster for a week or so before sending him to a Ripley's aquarium.
"Unbelievable," Wholey said when he learned of Bubba's death. "He left here happy, alive and kicking."
Some thought Bubba could be 100 years old, but experts estimated his age to have been between 30 and 40.
Joe Choromanski, vice president of husbandry for Ripley's Aquariums, said he had concerns about the lobster's health, but had been hopeful that the "rescue mission," as he put it, would succeed.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05062/465527.stm
