A young girl is being credited with saving a giant Pacific octopus that found itself stranded on a Washington state beach recently.
The girl was visiting Bay View State Park in Mount Vernon with her family when they spotted a stranded octopus on the beach. With the tide going out the massive marine animal stood little chance of returning to the water.
They contacted a local park ranger who then contacted a group of researchers for help.
READ MORE:
- Cute baby fox found alone and ‘crying for his mother’ saved by rescuers
- Driver pulls over to rescue owl trapped in barbed wire fence
- People are filling their vehicles with sea turtles to rescue them from the extreme cold
Annie England of Padilla Bay Reserve responded to the scene and was shocked to find “such an alive, healthy octopus.”
England credited the young girl with keeping the octopus alive until help arrived.
“She was taking water with her little sand bucket, and she was filling it up and she was pouring it on top of the octopus,” she told KING 5.
“It can’t survive out of water for more than several minutes, it collapses their gills.”
While the public’s first instinct might be to attempt to bring the marine animal closer to the water, England said she would “never encourage the public to try to move an octopus or touch it.”
Instead, she recommends pouring water over it and contacting a local aquarium or marine life organization.
It took a combined effort to get the giant Pacific octopus into a bucket and drag it out to the water’s edge. Thankfully once the octopus reached the water it slowly crept out of the bucket and into the ocean.
Lesson learned for everyone involved! And thanks to the young girl who kept the octopus alive by pouring water over it. It’s because of you the marine animal lives to see another day.
Please share this story on Facebook!
