PETA Urges Ocean City New Jersey to Halt Hermit Crab Races

Ocean City, New Jersey has crabs, and PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) doesn't like it.

Not one bit.

It's asking Ocean City to get rid of the crabs.

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Photo by William Thomas Cain/Getty Images

PETA Reaches Out to Mayor Of Ocean City, New Jersey

PETA has fired off a letter to Ocean City Mayor Jay Gillian, asking him and the city to put an end to the Miss Crustacean Hermit Crab Beauty Pageant.

The organization is calling on the city to put an end to using real crabs - and is actually offering to provide the city with "race robotic or remote-controlled crabs."

Ingrid Newkirk, founder of PETA wrote this in her letter:

"Hermit crabs are not toys, trinkets, props, or pets. If the purpose of the pageant is truly to promote responsible “pet ownership,” then the best way to support that goal would be to stop normalizing the purchase and confinement of hermit crabs altogether. Respecting crabs begins with recognizing that they are individuals with their own interests, not forcing them into pageants and races for human amusement."

PETA is urging Ocean City to leave the real crabs "in peace."

What is the Miss Crustacean Hermit Crab Beauty Pageant?

For the record, the event is more than a "beauty pageant." It's a fun experience that let's kids and families celebrate hermit crab ownership. Crabs - and people are dressed up. Crabs are raced, prizes are give away.

The event began in the 1970s and continues today. It's just one of the many fun and quirky activities in Ocean City that are, well, quirky and fun.

Ocean City bills itself as America's Greatest Family Resort, and hermit crabs are just part of the fun an charm.

There's been no official response from the mayor or city, but we can pretty much assume what the end game is here:

Sorry, PETA, hermit crabs live on in Ocean City, New Jersey!