Man Buys 80-Year-Old Lobster, Sets Him Free

'Lucky Larry' Weighed 17 Pounds

Larry the lobster just received a second lease on life. The lucky crustacean, estimated to be at least 80 years old, was purchased at a restaurant only to be released back into the ocean in honor of his incredible longevity.

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Don MacKenzie of Niantic, Connecticut, bought the 17-pound lobster because he just couldn't stand to see the massive creature end up on someone's dinner plate.

"It takes seven years for him to even become a lobster big enough to keep," MacKenzie said. "For a lobster to live this long and avoid lobster traps, nets, lobster pots ... he doesn't deserve a bib and butter."

There is no scientific way to determine a lobster's age, but an educated guess can be made by its weight. And considering Larry is one of the biggest lobsters ever caught, MacKenzie thinks he could be anywhere from 80 - 100 years-old.

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So with a group of children behind him chanting "Let Larry Live," MacKenzie and his lobster friend took off in a boat on Tuesday for Larry's new home: a secret location out in the ocean where he'll be safe from fisherman.

MacKenzie kept the two rubber bands that were wrapped around the lobster's claws as a souvenir. He declined to say how much he paid for Larry.

"Let's just say that it's the most expensive lobster I never ate," he said.

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