Nameless and in exile
Let us join together in protest, for a wrong has been done to one of our neighbours. Somewhere, tonight, an innocent lobster named Goliath must prepare to be de-named. A return to the anonymity of “just another bug in the water”.
Imagine having lived for fifteen years on the seafloor, evading capture over and over again. Or maybe not; there’s still a school of thought that claims the “cage” or “trap” label is a mistake. Anyhow, after all those long winters, after progressing from an egg to larva to itty-bitty to that final “king of the rockpile” status, Goliath got on the elevator to another world and became for a brief time, a celebrity.
Celebrated enough to end up as a prize at a SuperBowl party in a bar in Taunton, MA. (Catchy address – mocking Mama), Goliath prepared for his new life. Winnings in a lottery. He could have graced a table. Instead, his new partner decided to “take him for a ride in her car” and donate him to an aquarium.
Now, Goliath is big. Enough of a decapod that the New England Aquarium decided he needed an enviroment where he would really catch the visitor’s eye. As a result, Goliath will be heading north to the Biodome in Montreal,in the next few weeks. Best that he wait, as a trip outside right now would guarantee coldpack status (preferred method for crustaceans to cross borders). Give him a few months to acclimatize and learn some French (Oh Homard!) and our family might just pay him a visit. After all, I’ve seen thousands of little lobsters; might as well go for a big ‘un. Unfortunately, he will be nameless, as the Biodome doesn’t go in for celebrities. Thankfully, he probably won’t remember.
