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Wanda the octopus says goodbye to Sidney

Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea returned octopus to waters off Ucluelet, received a new one June 8
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Staff with the Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea released Wanda on June 7 near Ucluelet. (Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea/Submitted)

The octopus named Wanda recently said good-bye to the Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea, while a new, yet-to-be named octopus has said hello.

Staff at the centre released Wanda on June 7 in the waters off Ucluelet, near where she was collected at the end of last year, said Tina Kelly, director of learning and communications.

RELATED: An octopus named Wanda will soon say goodbye to Sidney

“We have a new octopus now,” she said. “We strive to release and acquire around the same time. We were successful and the new octopus arrived on June 8 – World Oceans Day.”

The centre has a name for the new arrival, but is not revealing it just yet. Kelly said no naming contest will be held, but the moniker has connection to the local community.

Wanda, believed to be somewhere in the middle of her three-to-five-year lifespan, arrived in Sidney in December 2020 weighing eight pounds. Wanda had replaced Henry, named after provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry.


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wolfgang.depner@peninsulanewsreview.com



Wolf Depner

About the Author: Wolf Depner

I joined the national team with Black Press Media in 2023 from the Peninsula News Review, where I had reported on Vancouver Island's Saanich Peninsula since 2019.
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