by Kit Thornton, Head of Animal Care
As Aquarists we are often asked what it is like working with a giant Pacific octopus; the answer to that is – pretty great!
Photo: John Roney, mahoneydives.com
One of the favourite aspects of our job is releasing our octopus ambassador after their six month stay and Henry’s release was particularly special. He was a bright spark among what was a challenging year for many. A lot of preparation goes into an animal release — applying for permits from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, arranging a transport vehicle, and checking the weather and tides to ensure optimal conditions for our safety.
Henry’s release day dawned bright and early for myself and the rest of the Animal Care Team. After a quick weight check*, Henry was loaded into the transport container with sea water, ice and oxygen to keep him comfortable for the long drive to the west coast of Vancouver Island.
Arriving at the release site, we bundled ourselves into thick wetsuits to guard against the chilly waters. We were joined by John Roney of MahoneyDives — a Victoria-based documentary filmmaker and underwater videographer.
Henry’s transport container was carried out into the gentle swell, and carefully tipped down so it flooded with fresh sea water. After a few moments of consideration, Henry jetted out into the ocean, his arms streaming behind him as he made his way home.
While we snorkeled above, John dove down and filmed Henry from a respectful distance, capturing footage of Henry settling onto the sea floor and beginning to explore his surroundings.
Photo: John Roney, mahoneydives.com
An octopus’s preferred method of locomotion is walking, and that is just what Henry did, walking on six hind arms while raising his two front arms into the water column. He sensed and tasted his new environment using the chemoreceptors that line each individual sucker. Turning a deep red colour and texturing his skin with raised papillae, Henry periodically cast his interbrachial web out over the sea floor, pausing to take in his surrounding area before continuing onward. Henry remained in the area for 25 minutes, allowing us plenty of time to observe his return to the ocean.
The moments we are afforded on release day are bittersweet. There’s our overarching excitement as our ambassadors are returned to the natural world, tinged with sadness that we won’t see them again. And so it was with Henry; we parted ways for the final time as he headed out to deeper water and we headed back to land.
How much did Henry weigh when he was released? A whopping 10 kg/22 lbs! How much did Henry weigh when he arrived mid-June? 2.5 kg/5.5 lbs