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April 2, 2023 | 8:45 a.m
A leisurely stroll along Sydney Harbor can turn deadly for a man and his dog after brushing up against one of Australia’s most venomous sea creatures.
Jesse Donnison and his dog Otto were walking along Blackwattle Bay in Glebe when he spotted an expensive toy dog floating in the water.
But Mr Donnison got more than he bargained for when he took the ball, thinking he was giving his dog a free toy.
“I just thought it had algae or something like that but then a tentacle came out,” he told NCA NewsWire.
He initially “freaked out” and dropped the ball, however, had a heart-stopping moment when Otto chased after the toy and the creature.
“As soon as that tentacle came out, I knew it was just one creature,” he said of the blue-ringed octopus.
“I dropped it quickly, more than anything I was worried about the dog. Otto tried to get to the ball right away.
“I was lucky to even look and not just chuck it for the dog to go and grab.”
Blue-ringed octopuses are among the most venomous marine animals in the world, carrying enough venom to kill 26 adult humans in minutes.
Because of their size, their bites are small and usually painless, with their venom capable of causing respiratory arrest, heart failure, paralysis, blindness and eventually death from the sting.
“I wasn’t scared because I was surprised. I was expecting sea weed, so it was a bit of a surprise,” said Mt Donnison.
He said the octopus started out a seaweed-green color but quickly began to show its blue rings.
Although they are venomous, octopuses are relatively docile, only showing their bright blue rings and becoming dangerous to humans when they believe they are threatened.
Just a few weeks ago a woman was lucky to escape with her life after being bitten multiple times by the creature.
The woman, aged in her 30s, was bitten on her stomach on Thursday afternoon at around 2.45pm at Chinamans Beach in Mosman.
“This woman was swimming and picked up a shell. It contained a small blue-ringed octopus that fell and bit her twice in the stomach,” NSW Ambulance Inspector Christian Holmes said.
“The patient was experiencing some abdominal pain around the bite site, so paramedics applied pressure and a cold compress before taking him to the hospital to be monitored and treated for further symptoms.”
Mr Donnison said it was the woman he had in mind when speaking to the creature.
“I was devastated as soon as I heard what happened to him. I knew the blue-ringed octopus was around but not at Black Wattle near Glebe,” he said.
The blue-ringed octopus is found on the east coast of Australia and throughout Sydney Harbour.
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