Rochester, NY – Zoo employees were seen running about the park in a state of panic this weekend as it was discovered that the new octopus, Mr. Squiglies, had apparently escaped his enclosure. Animal handlers were transporting the octopus between habitats when they noticed he was not in the transport tank. A trail was followed leading out of the facility but was unable to be tracked thereafter.

A frantic search of the zoo commenced as octopi are only able to survive out of water for about thirty minutes. Made even more difficult by the fact that they can change color and texture. They can also squeeze their whole body through any opening the size of their beak.

As employees and handlers searched throughout the zoo, security personnel also combed through security footage to find any sign of Mr. Squiglies. The search seemed fruitless until security footage found something unusual. A man walking out of the park with a large cap holding in dreadlocks. “Normally we wouldn’t have thought twice about this..” stated zoo security. “…except it was a large white guy with a Back the Blue shirt.”

Seneca Park Zoo employees were able to stop the park attendee at the gate and recover Mr. Squiglies just in time to get him back into his enclosure without any damage from being out of water for too long. When asked about how he had not noticed the octopus clinging to his head, the park attendee just stated “I’m a big guy, I sweat a lot. Actually felt kinda nice.”