A woman has been left “in tears” by the window display of a London restaurant.
Marta Kalinowska was in “pure disbelief” when she walked past Mayfair’s Novikov restaurant and spotted an “extremely tiny” tank full of live crabs.
Sharing a video on TikTok, which went viral with 2.9 million views, the 26-year-old showed the conditions the crabs were left in, with the tank looking out onto a bustling street.
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“Since I am a very sensitive person when it comes to animal suffering, my first reaction was tears,” Marta told Need To Know.
“I felt so helpless.
“I think it’s cruel and unnecessary, these crabs are sentient beings and feel pain.”
Marta occasionally works nearby and passes the restaurant on her commute.
The footage she shared shows the crabs filmed on separate occasions,
She said: “The tank is extremely tiny, they barely have any space to move.
“They are suffering till they end up on someone’s plate.
“They are suffocating and clearly in extreme distress.”
Novikov’s Asian menu has a ‘fish market’ section, where various seafood can be purchased.
A whole crab is available for £1,000, while half a crab will cost £500.
Marta said she was in “pure disbelief that this was legal”
She added: “When I decided to film, I had to wait for the crabs to move to capture any movement and prove they were alive.
“The way Novikov treats dead animals is absolutely disgusting.
“It’s one thing to eat meat and respect its origins, but it’s another to make a show out of live animals that will be slaughtered for food.”
Jam Press has contacted Novikov restaurant for comment, but did not hear back at the time of publishing.
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