Young girl saves octopus stranded on US beach

Octopuses can survive out of water for a brief period of about 20 to 30 minutes.

Young girl saves octopus stranded on the beach

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A young girl’s kindness and presence of mind led to the rescue of a Pacific octopus stranded on a US beach. The octopus was struggling on the rocky beach at the Bay View State Park in Mount Vernon, Washington, when a girl spotted it.

She immediately started pouring water over it with her sand bucket while her family called the park ranger for assistance. Eventually, the park authorities sought the help of Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, an environmental research and conservation organisation, for the rescue. The Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve reached the spot and pushed the octopus back to the water without harming its delicate body.

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In a Facebook post, Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve wrote about the rescue. It said its team members could get the octopus into a “large bin and push it to the water where it slowly crept out and returned to the ocean!”. They further added, “We can only speculate how it ended up stranded on the beach- maybe the tide caught it by surprise! Shoutout to the family visiting from Vancouver, BC who reported the octopus to the ranger!”.

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While talking to WSAZ-TV, Annie England, of Padilla Bay Reserve, appreciated the girl for keeping the aquatic creature alive while help arrived.

Octopuses can survive out of water for a brief period of about 20 to 30 minutes. England added that pouring water on the octopus was the right move. She also cautioned people against moving animals like octopuses on their own and insisted that people seek professional guidance in similar situations.