Arnie the octopus proves no slouch at pulling the girls

AN AQUARIUM worker had to be freed from the grip of a giant octopus named Arnie to prevent her being dragged into its tank.

Hannah Thomas, 21, had only been working at the Scottish Sea Life Sanctuary near Oban, Argyll, for a few days when she suffered her ordeal with the Giant Pacific Octopus. She was feeding the octopus, named after the governor of California and former film star Arnold Schwarzenegger, a meal of crab on the end of a long pole.

The octopus scrambled up the pole and grabbed her arm with two of its powerful tentacles.

Ms Thomas was rescued by her colleague, Gareth Hanniman, after he heard her scream for help. She said: "It was very scary. Arnie is very big and very strong – as his name suggests.

"I was feeding him on the end of a pole. He usually comes up to the top of the tank and takes a crab, but this time out of curiosity he wrapped his tentacles around my arm.

"When I pulled away he pulled back. That's when I realised just how strong he was and realised I could be pulled in to the tank."

Mr Hanniman, 27, said: "I was working with our flatfish when I heard Hannah scream."

He added: "I managed to get him to release his grip and concentrate on the crab from the stick instead. He went back to the bottom of his tank."