ROYAL PALM BEACH — As if being boiled alive and eaten weren't bad enough, lobsters are being terrorized by a new attraction at the Royal Palm Ale House, animal rights activists complain.

Next to the restaurant's bar stands a tall water tank fitted with a mechanical claw. Diners can pay a few bucks for a few minutes of dexterous play: Grab a lobster, and the chef will cook it for you.

Royal Palm Beach Ale House offers a lobster to anyone who can grab one in the tank using mechanical plastic claws. The claws are 'extremely gentle,' says the maker of them.

The Animal Rights Foundation of Florida calls the game "cruel" and "inhumane." After receiving several complaints last week, the Fort Lauderdale-based group is demanding the eatery get rid of the machine or face a two-hour protest on May 22.

"To pull off limbs, to poke them in the eye, to otherwise torment these animals ... we just find that appalling," said Melissa Gates, the foundation's managing director.

But that's not how the game works, said Joe Zucchero, president of Marine Ecological Habitats, which makes the Love Maine Lobster Claw attraction.

The plastic claws are "extremely gentle," and the Maine company has never had an instance of a lobster claw coming off, he said.

"If that were to occur, I would take the game off the market," he said. "As far as tearing lobsters apart, that does not happen. Period."

Also, about 5 percent of the proceeds from the games goes to Touch Tanks for Kids, a Maine nonprofit organization that helps children learn about marine life and caring for the ecosystem, he said.

Royal Palm Ale House owner John Baker said he was surprised at the foundation's criticism.

"I do feel that they have a right to voice their concerns," he said. But he doesn't plan to remove the machine.

Technicians check the machines' temperature and water twice a week, and the lobsters eat regularly — scallops on Tuesday, he said. The lobsters aren't "speared or poked or prodded," and the patrons love the novelty.

The restaurant doesn't offer lobster otherwise, so the game is a fun way to strive for a meal that would otherwise cost at least $15, said Jorge Cruz, 33, who has tried it a dozen times.

"I thought it was the coolest thing I've ever seen," the Royal Palm Beach resident said.

The game costs anywhere from $2 for one 30-second attempt to $20 for 14 tries.

Several restaurants in South Florida have lobster retrieval games, including Mr. Moe's in Coconut Grove and Palm Beach Ale House & Raw Bar in West Palm Beach.

"It's no different than a lobster tank in a restaurant," said Palm Beach Ale House owner Jay Starr.


I find this to be utterly ridiculous, how can this organization come out on the behalf of lobsters and claim they are being inhumanely treated, guess what they are not humans.

Guess I am biased and annoyed as another thread here was about a man a Veteran at that being eaten alive by mice. Why is this organization not working to remove those vermin afterall they are inhumanely eating humans...

Pass me a bib!!

Yes I am an animal rights activist, but a giant claw machine to grab lobsters sounds fun as hell!

And I don't even like lobsters

lobster

Heres a video of it on Youtube. The machine claws are over sized and the lobsters can easily get out of them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZKtgvoCzh0

they must have so much free time to focus on this

betcha they couldnt snab one of the lobsters and that inspired the whole thing.

I wonder what you have to do to get the melted butter????

hmmmmmm

BAD THOUGHTS AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

do I just bring this out in people????

nope, I don't have bad thoughts
all my thoughts are good

and I was thinking about a nice lobster with butter sauce dinner

I won't eat lobster

ever since I found out that they mate for life and live to be a hundred. I just don't have the heart to eat em

hell if they mate for life, maybe I'll be lucky and get a two for one sorry couldnt hold that one back