Rare albino lobster takes flight

The lobster will eventually go on display at the aquarium

A rare albino lobster was treated like a VIP on a flight from Alderney to Guernsey earlier this week.

The creature was found by fisherman David Gillingham off Alderney who realised it was something special.

He contacted fisherman and Aurigny employee Steve Parilla who arranged a flight for the creature to Guernsey so it could be taken to the aquarium.

"I'm used to doing emergency air evacuations but this is the first time I've looked after a lobster," he said.

Forward thinking

"It's amazing he survived," said Mr Parilla.

"He's so light you'd have thought the predators would have had him in no time."

David Miller from Guernsey Aquarium, praised Mr Parilla's forward thinking.

"It should be great for the public to see," he said.

The chances of a lobster turning out to be an Albino are thought to be 1 in 100,000,000.

The lobster, which is white on its underside with grey-green markings on its back, was put in a holding tank and will be looked after to make sure it is feeding properly.

Once it is deemed to be fit and well, it will be put on display joining another albino lobster which has been at the aquarium for about 12 years.

The last known albino lobster to be discovered in the UK was caught 12 miles northwest of Alderney in July last year by fisherman Lloyd Turner.