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| image courtesy Florian Graner |
Eleanora the octopus, a former resident in our aquarium, seems content in her new den in Admiralty Inlet
On Tuesday, August 27, with much coordination and care, we transferred Eleanora from the tank in the aquarium back to the waters of Admiralty Inlet where she was found (click first image below to read more and watch video). The dive team, that included our aquarist Ali Redman and documentarian Florian Graner, carried her to her new home where a den in a hollow log had been located for her (click second image for video). She immediately captured and ate the crab that she found there. Florian returned a day later to follow-up and he is happy to report that Eleanora is thriving in her new space.
Ecstatic thank-yous go out to: our aquarist Ali Redman and all our volunteers and AmeriCorps for keeping Eleanora safe and stimulated during her stay with us; to all the docents for helping visitors understand this complex, graceful creature; to our donors for supporting our work inspiring conservation of the Salish Sea (and the octopuses within); and to our visitors who came and marveled at one of our aquarium's most charismatic animal ambassadors. And thank you to filmmaker, Florian Graner who has documented Eleanora's stay in our aquarium and will help her story reach even more people.
Next time you look out on the Salish Sea, think about Eleanora and all the yummy crab she's eating.
PS -- Read more about Eleanora's release in this Sept. 4 article appearing in the Port Townsend Leader.
Enjoy the videos below!
