Story By: Victoria Lyndon, Sub-Editor:  Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News 

This Chinese crab which is a delicacy in Asia has been found on a street in a German city and experts believe it could have escaped a cooking pot.

The crab was found in the Pempelfort area of the German city of Dusseldorf and the animal rescue service have named the crab ‘Krusty’.

According to their Facebook post, the crab is very approachable and and will be looked after at a reptile and amphibian centre, instead of ending up in a cooking pot. It is around 30 centimetres (11 inches) in length.

Carsten Schuetz who works at the animal rescue service has several theories as to how the crab ended up on the street.

In the vicinity are several restaurants and Schuetz says “it’s possible it escaped from a cooking pot”.

Crabs are considered a delicacy in the area. It is common for crabs to show their pincers when touched, however, this crab has allowed workers to pick it up, suggesting it may have come from a private household.

The least likely scenario to have occurred is that the crab actually managed to make its way from the nearby Rhine, which has a Chinese mitten cab population, to the city centre.

The mitten crab originates from China, but was introduced into Europe in the 20th century.

The future of the crab is currently uncertain as they are known to be an invasive species.

It is still unclear as to how the crab ended up on the street.

The ViralTab page is created by and dedicated to professional, independent freelance journalists. It is a place for us to showcase our work. When our news is sold to our media partners, we will include the link here.