Call out for unwanted toys for octopus training!

Bristol Aquarium is asking the public for donations of unwanted hard plastic toys for their giant Pacific octopus to play with to increase her mental stimulation.
It’s no secret that octopus are clever but did you know they have the intelligence of a three year old toddler? The giant Pacific octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini) has evidenced ability to complete mazes, open jars and is even capable of individual facial recognition.
 

 
Aquarist Joe Feasey-Kemp said: “Our resident octopus Gloria has been with us for about a year and although she is quite shy we’ve found her to be very inquisitive with new toys and games.
Joe explained, “we train with her every afternoon when she is most active, encouraging her to gain confidence and interact with us. Her training includes manipulating brightly coloured toys for food rewards so we’re now looking for some new toys to increase her mental stimulation.”
The popular city centre aquarium is promoting the reuse of unwanted toys and would like to ask the public to donate their unwanted toys for Gloria to play with! If you would like to donate any hard, plastic toys such as baby rattles, plastic balls or dog toys. Please bring these along to Bristol Aquarium, Anchor Road, Bristol BS1 5TT where staff will appreciatively accept them.
Bristol Aquarium is open everyday (except Christmas Day) from 10am and houses a range of tropical and native fish as well as the UK’s only aquarium to feature a giant botanical house.