Christchurch woman Charlotte Cairncross had been visiting the South Island tourist town of Kaikōura in July for whale watching when her trip was cancelled due to weather.
She and her partner came across a fish and chip shop selling live crayfish and saw an opportunity to complete a “life goal” she’d held for many years.
“When I was little, my dad and I always said one day we wanted to buy a lobster, or crayfish and set it free because we love them,” she said.
Cairncross bought a medium-sized crayfish for $160 and made her way to the coast.
She released the animal into the water and had the moment filmed.
She said nothing could beat “the beautiful feeling of seeing him look back at us in the ocean and wave his little legs at us”.
Inspired by the experience, Cairncross returned to Kaikōura in August and tried to release another crustacean into the wild but found the shop closed with the owners on holiday.
But she is determined to give the sea creatures a “second chance at life”.
“This is definitely a little passion project of mine, but I am extremely passionate about animal rights,” said Cairncross, who works in the animal care industry.
Her efforts to rope the public in extended to a Givealittle page, where she tried to raise funds to purchase and free more crayfish.
Just over $150 has been raised so far and she acknowledged the page hasn’t got as much traction as she’d hoped.
Cairncross also posted her initial crayfish liberation on TikTok but while people close to her supported her actions, others had trolled her, causing her to turn off the comments.
“I guess some people might think it’s a waste of money or a pointless endeavour,” she said.
“But I just like to think it’s nice to give a cool creature a second chance at life.”
-By Nathan Morton
