The Lobster Zone is a cruel "game" that's found in some bars and restaurants. The arcade-style contraption allows patrons to pluck a lobster out of a machine using a joystick-controlled crane with an attached claw. Once caught, the lobster is dropped down a chute, boiled or cut up while still alive, and then eaten. But like all animals, lobsters can feel pain, and they suffer when they are injured, cut, or boiled alive.
PETA has recently received several calls from patrons of Paddy Whack's in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who were horrified upon seeing a Lobster Zone machine in the restaurant. Our callers reported seeing lobsters languishing in a tank and trying to flee as they were repeatedly chased by the metal claw.
Please call or write to the restaurant's managers to remind them that living beings must not be treated as if they were cheap boardwalk-game trinkets and to implore them to remove this cruel contraption from Paddy Whack's for good.
Sample text is provided below to help you draft your message. We encourage you to use your own words and phrasing in order to personalize your message.
Paddy Whack'sWelsh Road 9241 – 43 Roosevelt Blvd.Philadelphia, PA 19114215-464-7544
Subject:Please Remove Your Lobster Zone Machine
Body:I was disappointed to learn that Paddy Whack's has a Lobster Zone machine on its premises. There is nothing fun about cruelty to animals. Confined to a cramped tank, the animals often try desperately to escape when the Lobster Zone's claw begins to move. I find it upsetting that Paddy Whack's is promoting a machine that turns living animals into nothing more than cheap prizes.
Zoologists who study invertebrates agree that lobsters are intelligent animals who are capable of experiencing both fear and pain. Scientists in the European Union have listed lobsters in the same class as dogs and cats when it comes to their capacity for suffering. I will refuse to patronize Paddy Whack's and urge others to boycott your restaurant until you remove this cruel and offensive machine.