Amazing escapes!

[Bingo]

I'm really interested in the amazing escapes of octopuses. Either from a tank, an aquarium or even an fishing net. I once hear that an octopus didn't like the treatment of the aquarium keeper so decided to escape. The octopus devised a plan and waiting for the chance. The chance came when the keeper opened the tank to do the daily feeding. As soon as the lid was opened the octopus grabbed the keeper around the neck, slammed his face onto a sea urchin and jumped out of the tank. As the keeper was stunned for a while, the octopus turned the door knob and proceeded to escape down the hallway.

That's as much of the story I know and whether the smart little bugger managed to escape or not I have no idea. If anyone knows of this story and how it ended it, please teach all. If others out there have heard of or witnessed any great octopus escapes or attempts to do so, I would love to hear and I'm sure they would all would enjoy reading about them.

As anyone who has read my "introduce yourself" posting, I'm writing a novel about an octopus adventure. Some where in the novel I need great escape plot, so if get some ideas from you guys, from your escape stories, I'll be sure to mention your name in the book.

 

[Andy Lister]

I once had a vulgaris hold onto me and when I was trying to get it off the other two climbed out... managed to get them back though, they'll do anything for a piece of mackerel!

 

[Nancy]

Well, I don't know about that escape story you describe, but there are plenty of octopuses that have escaped. Most of them are happily found and returned to their tanks.

Your novel sounds interesting! Keep us posted...

Nancy

 

[Jean]

Re: Amazing escapes!

I once hear that an octopus didn't like the treatment of the aquarium keeper so decided to escape. The octopus devised a plan and waiting for the chance. The chance came when the keeper opened the tank to do the daily feeding. As soon as the lid was opened the octopus grabbed the keeper around the neck, slammed his face onto a sea urchin and jumped out of the tank. As the keeper was stunned for a while, the octopus turned the door knob and proceeded to escape down the hallway.

Bingo

Haven't heard that one!!!!! Do you know where it supposedly happened?????

I have HEAPS of stories! I work in a public aquarium that keeps octis. I'll post some later as I'm just due to go on shift right now!

Cheers

jean

 

[Nancy]

Hi Jean,
Please do post more of your octi stories! I always enjoy reading them. You have such lively octopuses.

Nancy

 

[Bingo]

As for where I heard the story, I remember reading it in a book years ago in a library in Sydney. Can't remember which aquarium it happened in, sorry. But please send those stories when you get off your shift.

 

[Jean]

Hi Bingo,

Teaching today but gotta couple of mo's so here is a sample!!!!!

Harry the octopus was notorious for getting out (He was named for Harry Houdini!!). His record was 5 x in 1.5 hours! BUt the best one was one night! We do a check on water flows and animal health etc at 10.30 pm. The aquarist who was doing it was coming down the stairs in the dark and heard a squelching sound in front of her, turned on the light and there was Harry halfway up the stairs!!! Now Harry weighed about 18kg or so and the aquarist was around 5ft 1inches tall and quite slight. She went and got a big net, and started to net him to retiurn him to the tank.....semms it took nearly an hour to get hin in the net, down the stairs and along past two tanks to his own cos he suckers onto her, onto the walls, onto the floor and she'd get some arms in and others would pop out, get them in and the others would pop out (of the net!) and so on.......!!!

Then there was Dr Mike, who got into an adjacent tank and removed all the rock work from the walls (they'd only been cemented in place ) and piled them in a corner! He also was responsable for eating our giant spider crabs!

And more later my group of kiddies have just arrived!

Cheers

J

 

[Jean]

OK 'nother story!

We'd been asked to ship an octopus to an aquarium on the west coast. So we duly packed up the octopus in a nice comfy chilly bin all duct taped shut. Put a big notice on it ...."CAUTION LIVE OCTOPUS!" This was more to ensure that it didn't get chucked around than anything else. It was flown to Christchurch and then was couriered across the Southern Alps to the west coast.........well part way across the mountains the couriers curiousity got the better of him and he OPENED THE BIN! To be faced with one extremely irate (large) octopus. Then he couldn't get the lid back on properly, I'm told he spent the rest of the trip trying to keep the octopus in the bin!!!! He then had the cheek to send us a bill for cleaning the saltwater out of his truck Needless to say we refused to pay it, suggesting to him that a package being sent from one aquarium to another might just possibly actually contain what it said it did.....and anyway why was he opening our package!!!!!!!!

The octopus lived his natural lifespan out so it obviously didn't do him any harm...the driver tho' may have lost a few years!

J

 

[Bingo]

Good stuff, Marvin. . These are the kind of stories I like to hear, especially the part about Harry on the stairs. Makes the octopus sound more 'human' like.

Anyway thanks and send some more, and you might just be able to get your name in my book.

 

[Melissa]

Jean, these are great stories! I love the detail about the bill for cleaning the salt water out of the truck.

Melissa

 

[Snafflehound]

8) How far do these octo's that get out on land and roam around ever go? I mean I doubt that they end up in the Sahara but could you find one well up the beach kicking over some kid's sandcastle? :P

 

[corw314]

I love it!!! Great stories Jean!!! More!!! More!!!

I can just picture the one escaping on the stairs, and the look on the drivers face, trying to keep it in the container!!! Priceless!!!

Carol

 

[cthulhu77]

That does take some cheek indeed...to send you a bill. ! :x
Great bits of ceph humour...keep them coming!
greg

 

[Jean]

Got 5 mins so 'nother one


I'm busy working before we open, siphoning out the touch tanks when I hear "HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP" from out the back. I go to investigate and there's one of the other staff with an octopus wrapped around his legs! Seems he'd decided to give the octopus tank a good scrub and was moving Octavius to a holding tank when he slipped out of the net and grabbed hold! He had 4 arms round the aquarists legs, 2 round his arms (he was tryng to unwind him) and 2 attached to the floor, so he was completely hogtied by this octopus! !

I have to confess I fell about laughing it was sooooooo funny. When I recovered I had to go find a couple of other staff members, it took 3 of us to get Octavius off!

Funny tho' the octopus prisoner didn't see the funny side and was put out with us!

J

 

[TPOTH]

Great stories Jean!! can't wait for the next one(s)... Might be worth collating them and uploading them on TONMO in a nice word format... with piccies of the aquarium and all?

TPOTH