George the Giant Lobster, who weighs approximately 20 pounds and has about 80 years, has found himself liberated from City Crab's lobster tank, a Manhattan restaurant. This happened on Friday, when the lobster was saved by the intervention of animal rights activists.

The executive chief and the manager of the restaurant had displayed the hefty crustacean on a huge platter by the lobster tank and at the raw bar ever since he arrived at the Park Ave. South restaurant New Year's Eve. He was named George by a young patron and it has been treated as a pet, never meant to be sold or eaten, but just to serve as a mascot.

However, a patron spotted the lobster in the tank and called People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which began lobbying the restaurant for George's release. The giant lobster did not seem perturbed as a crew of photographers shot his picture before his grand exit. How would anybody know if he's upset? Well, he would have slapped his tail and his claws would have been up in a defensive posture.

George will be driven in a special ice-lined foam cooler to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where a crustacean expert will help ease his transition back into its natural habitat. From there, the lobster will be driven on to Maine, where he will be released in protected waters just north of Kennebunkport.

Even if PETA representatives did not want to say how do they know the age of the lobster, restaurant manager Keith Valenti told the media that lobsters can grow a pound every 7 to 10 years, and he put George's weight at 18 to 20 pounds.