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PETA sues Maine Lobster Festival over steaming live lobsters

A lobster is lowered into a pot of boiling water Friday, Feb. 11, 2005, in Freeport, Maine.
Robert F. Bukaty
/
AP file
A lobster is lowered into a pot of boiling water Friday, Feb. 11, 2005, in Freeport, Maine.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, is suing the Maine Lobster Festival and the city of Rockland for steaming thousands of live lobsters.

The organization argues the practice violates Maine's law against the torture of animals. It wants the festival, which will begin on July 30, declared a public nuisance. PETA is also seeking a permanent injunction prohibiting the steaming of live lobsters on public lands.

The Maine Lobster Festival didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.