Large crab found abandoned behind pharmacy in England

Sept. 13 (UPI) -- Workers at a pharmacy in Britain were left baffled when they found a large crab had been abandoned live in the alley outside their store, rescuers said.

The RSPCA said workers at the pharmacy on Coney Street in York, England, found the crab in the alley behind the store around lunchtime Monday and called for rescuers.

RSPCA Inspector Thomas Hutton said CCTV footage showed two young men abandoning the crab in the alleyway earlier in the day.

"This poor thing must have been feeling crabby after being dumped in an alley in the middle of York -- a long way from his natural habitat," Hutton said. "They managed to catch him before confining him in a bowl with some water."

"It's extremely irresponsible to leave this crab in this way. It's an extremely dangerous setting for an animal that is used to living his life on the beaches and rocks and in the sea. He could have easily been seriously injured or killed," he said.

Animal collection officer Martin Whiteley took the crab to SeaLife Center in Scarborough, where its health is being monitored.