PETA demands San Antonio Aquarium release octopus accused of attacking 6-year-old

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is calling on the San Antonio Aquarium to release a giant Pacific octopus housed that grabbed national headlines last week after it allegedly attacked a 6-year-old boy, leaving a string of bruises up his arm. “This slimy facility’s exploitative encounters are a recipe for disaster, as injuries abound when timid animals such as octopuses are denied everything natural and important to them and subjected to a barrage of grabbing hands,” PETA Foundation Associate Director of Captive Wildlife Rebecca Smudzinski said in a statement. Smudzinski continued: “For everyone’s sake, PETA is calling on the San Antonio aquarium to stop forcing wild animals to interact with humans and release this octopus to her natural habitat, if possible, or an accredited facility where she can finally live in peace.”