Inky The Octopus Escapes Aquarium and Into His Freedom

Who likes to live in a stuffy aquarium when sea is the limit, and this is not said figuratively. Inky the octopus made a quick escape through a small opening in his enclosure in the city of Napier. As he squeezed his way out, Inky slithered through the floor and slipped into a drain pipe that led all the way into the sea.

According to Rob Yarrall, aquarium manager, tank's lid was left open after maintenance work. "He managed to make his way to one of the drain holes that go back to the ocean and off he went-didn't even leave us a message."

After his escape, all Inky left behind was his tracks that revealed his escape route. Even though his escape happened earlier this year, it was only revealed to the national press on Tuesday. Even though Inky has a large body size, he is also squishier, making it easy for him to slide through inaccessible spaces.

"Even quite a large octopus, they can squeeze down to the size of their mouth which is the only really hard part of their body," Yarrall said. "It's a beak, very much like a parrot beak."

Of the two octopuses that lived in the aquarium, Inky was the only one to take a chance for his freedom. Yarrell added that this is the first time an octopus has escaped from their aquarium. "Yes, it's most unusual and yes, we'll be watching the other one."

Inky was handed over to the aquarium in 2014 after a fisherman and a volunteer pulled him out of the ocean, half a kilometer from the port of Napier. As he lived in the aquarium, he was fed with fish three times a week and was entertained with toys and games.