'George the Lobster' released into sea

NEW YORK, Jan. 11 (UPI) -- Longtime New York restaurant mascot George the Lobster is back in his natural element -- the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, an animal rights group says.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, PETA, said Saturday its efforts to liberate George from his tank at City Crab and Seafood restaurant in Manhattan have been successful, with the 140-year-old crustacean set loose into the sea, CNN reported.

"We applaud the folks at City Crab and Seafood for their compassionate decision to allow this noble old-timer to live out his days in freedom and peace," PETA President Ingrid Newkirk said in a statement. "We hope that their kind gesture serves as an example that these intriguing animals don't deserve to be confined to tiny tanks or boiled alive."

The New York Daily News said George was driven in a special ice-lined cooler to Portsmouth, N.H., where a crustacean expert facilitated his transition back into the wild. The lobster was then driven to Maine and released in protected waters near Kennebunkport.