Animal rights activist tossed a lobster from a restaurant tank into the harbor to ‘rescue’ it — but faced charges after the owner’s revelation
Animal rights activists are quick to respond when they see an animal that appears trapped or in need of rescue, often acting without hesitation. But what happens when that instinct is misplaced and the situation turns out to be something entirely different? That is what unfolded at a restaurant, “Catch at The Old Fish Market” in Dorset, England, last year. Emma Smart, an animal activist, believed a lobster had been placed there to be cooked, so she tried to rescue it by tossing it back into the harbor outside, as reported by PEOPLE on Wednesday, April 22, 2026. However, what she believed was a rescue soon backfired, leaving Smart facing consequences after the restaurant owner revealed the truth.
Smart entered the restaurant on Custom Road in Weymouth on April 10, 2025. She saw a lobster in the restaurant's tank, which she thought was meant for dinner. So, she put her hand inside the tank, grabbed the lobster, and eventually threw it into the harbor outside the restaurant. She then managed to escape despite attempts by restaurant staff to apprehend her. However, the lobster she rescued wasn’t for consumption; it was actually a pet owned by the restaurant manager.
According to local outlet LBC, the owner and manager, Anthony Cooper, said the establishment had kept two lobsters, Reggie and Renee, in a nearby tank for about two and a half years. He also explained they were kept for “educational purposes” for children, and there was no intention of selling them. “The force with which Emma Smart threw the animal into the harbor would almost certainly have killed it,” said Cooper.
Moreover, he explained that the tank at the restaurant used warm water, so when Smart threw the lobster into the harbor, it would have experienced a sudden drop in temperature. Even if the impact didn’t harm it, the shock from that change could have been fatal. “The travesty of the whole thing is that the animal will have died the second it hit the water,” said Cooper.
The 47-year-old animal activist was initially charged with causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal, as well as theft and assault. However, after being allowed to plead to a lesser offense, Smart admitted to one count of criminal damage at Bournemouth Crown Court. She was also handed a three-year restraining order, barring her from coming within ten meters of the restaurant. The restaurant manager called Smart “ignorant,” as her misunderstanding about the lobster likely cost it its life, reported the BBC.
The remaining lobster in the tank also died a few days later, possibly due to loneliness after losing its companion, as per Cooper. As an animal activist, Smart likely never imagined that her actions would lead to the deaths of two crustaceans instead of saving even one. As for the consequences, she may already have some familiarity with them, given her past experiences, including a four-month jail sentence in November 2021 following an Insulate Britain climate protest. However, this incident will likely make her think twice before relying solely on her instincts when attempting to rescue an animal.
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