An Australian man, a dog, has a run-in with a killer blue-ringed octopus

News

By Ellie Green, News.com.au

April 2, 2023 | 8:45 a.m

A relaxing stroll along Sydney Harbor could have turned into the death of a man and his dog after they collided with one of Australia’s most poisonous sea creatures.

Jesse Donnison and his dog Otto were walking along Blackwattle Bay in Glebe when he spotted an expensive dog toy floating in the water.

But Mr. Donison got more than he bargained for when he caught the ball, thinking he was going to score a free game for his dog.

“I thought it had algae or something in it, but then tentacles popped,” he told NCA NewsWire.

At first he “got scared” and dropped the ball, however, it was the moment his heart stopped when Otto chased after the toy and the creature.

“As soon as that tentacle appeared, I knew there was only one creature it could be,” he said of the blue-ringed octopus.

“I dropped it so quickly, more than anything I was worried about the dog. Otto tried to get the ball right away.

“I was so lucky that I looked for it and didn’t throw it away so the dog would go and grab it.”

Blue-ringed octopuses are among the most venomous marine animals in the world, carrying enough venom to kill 26 adults in a matter of minutes.

Due to their size, their bites are small and often painless, as their venom can cause respiratory arrest, heart failure, paralysis, blindness, and eventually death from suffocation.

“I wasn’t so much scared as startled. I was expecting seaweed, so it was a bit of a surprise,” Mount Donison said.

He said the octopus started out as the color of green seaweed but soon began to show its blue rings.

Although venomous, octopuses are relatively docile, only showing their bright blue rings and becoming dangerous to humans when they think they are threatened.

A few weeks ago, a woman was lucky to escape with her life after being bitten several times by this creature.

The woman, in her 30s, was bitten on the stomach Thursday afternoon at about 2.45pm on Chinamance Beach in Mossman.

“This woman was swimming and picked up a shell. It had a small blue-ringed octopus that fell on its stomach and bit her twice,” said Christian Holmes, an ambulance inspector for New South Wales.

“The patient had some abdominal pain around the sting site, so the paramedics used a compress and a cold compress before taking her to the hospital to be followed up and treated for other symptoms.”

Mr. Donison said that the woman was top of mind when dealing with the creature.

“I stayed put after hearing what happened to her. I knew the blue-ringed octopus was there but not at Black Wattle near Glebe.

The blue-ringed octopus is found across the east coast of Australia and throughout Sydney Harbour.