At Bay View Park in Bay View, Washington, animals like sea lions, crabs and river otters flourish in the coastal ecosystem they call home. Here in this lush habitat, quick-moving tides often reveal expansive mud flats, occasionally surprising sea animals, leaving them stranded on the shore.
Back in March 2023, a family visiting
the park stopped short when they noticed one such unlucky animal stuck in the mud.The worried passersby told Brandon, a park ranger, what they had seen. Unsure what to do, the ranger called Annie England, an environmental educator at Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, and relayed the news.
England was stunned. She’d assisted plenty of wild animals, but never this one.
The rescuer, along with her colleague Mira
Lutz and volunteer Sean Petersmark, rushed over.
“We were up for a challenge and knew the clock was ticking,” England told The Dodo.
When she arrived, England saw the animal, a “massive” giant Pacific octopus, stranded in the shallow sediment. The octopus was captivating, his reddish body and long limbs standing out against the dirt.
According to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, giant Pacific octopuses are the largest species of octopus in the world, weighing up to 150 pounds. England and her team knew they had to act fast, as an octopus like this one can only survive for about an hour outside his ocean home.
The rescuers weren’t sure exactly how the octopus ended up in this predicament. They expect he was likely hunting in the shallow water and accidentally lost track of the tide, becoming stranded when the water line crept too far out.
Rescuers wore special clothing to protect themselves and the octopus. They poured buckets of water over the animal and coaxed him into a tote full of seawater. Then they carefully dragged the bag to a deeper channel, where the octopus could be safely released.
In her 10 years at the research reserve, Padilla has only seen one other giant Pacific octopus. She can still clearly recall releasing the incredible animal, a happy ending she’ll never forget.
“It was a magical moment,” England said. “The octopus reached out its arms in a slow, sinuous manner and then carefully crept out of the box. The octopus also wrapped its arms around our boots, eventually letting go and swimming away.”
