Animals: Learning to Learn From Them

We are in danger of missing a great opportunity and an important lesson regarding the 58-pound female giant Pacific octopus at the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium (Around the South Bay, Feb. 24). Just as we were slow to learn that wolves aren’t the bloodthirsty demons depicted in “Little Red Riding Hood,” so other animals still suffer from our ignorance.

Friendly, gentle and intelligent beings, octopuses’ brains are comparable to those of “higher” mammals. Octopuses are whizzes at solving puzzles, such as extracting food from jars by unscrewing the lids even when they have never seen such containers before. They also readily recognize people, form relationships, communicate in complicated ways we don’t fully understand and enjoy collecting trinkets with which to decorate their cave homes.

In captivity, miserable octopuses eventually tear themselves to shreds in an exercise called “auto-mutilation syndrome.”

How wonderful if our children were to be taught the importance of setting “Octavia” free! Or are our children to be shown that it is still acceptable to deny her the pleasures of her octopus life simply to liven up an exhibit?

INGRID E. NEWKIRK Newkirk is chairwoman of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.