This blue crustacean was found near a garage by an animal control worker

Animal ambulance employees were surprised when they drove to Zoetermeerse Dorpsstraat for an emergency call last month. There lay in the grass a remarkable animal: a large, blue crab.

The blue swimming crab was lying in the grass near a container and the unfortunate animal had a rubber band around its body. How the beast got there is unclear. Ambulance driver John thought the animal was no longer alive, but nothing could be further from the truth!

One leg is missing

The employees caught the blue swimming crab and took it to the hospital in The Hague where the elastic was removed. It turned out that one leg was missing, but according to the ‘Stichting Dierenhospitaal en Ambulancedienst The Hague and surroundings’, the crab can live on without that one leg.

Nice back in the water

The blue crab was taken by ambulance from the hospital in The Hague to the port of Scheveningen. According to the animal shelter, crabs can live in both fresh, brackish (saline) and salt water. At a lock, the employees released him into the water. Ambulance driver John: “Go for a swim! A special animal to be able to help!”

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Red White Blue

The blue swimming crab gets its name from the blue color of its legs. Originally this species lives in America, but it has now also spread over most coastal areas in Europe. The females have bright orange-red legs and the underside of the crab is often white. Due to the color combination red-white-blue, some people make a link with the Dutch flag. Who knows, this crab was a harbinger of King’s Day Zoetermeer!

Source: Naturetoday.com