Image Credit: FACEBOOK/Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea
June 26, 2020 - 12:01 PM
B.C.'s top doctor is so famous, an octopus at a Vancouver Island aquarium has been named in her honour.
The team at the Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea will be naming a giant Pacific octopus in recognition of provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry's dedication, passion and calm demeanour during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a media release from the aquarium in Sydney, B.C.
“While we were not sure what the sex of our new octopus would be, we were certain of the name — Bonnie for a female and Henry if it was a male,” lead aquarist Amanda LeSergent said in the release.
"And if the giant in giant Pacific octopus wasn’t a clear enough measure of admiration, octopuses have three hearts, a symbol that has come to reflect gratitude for Dr. Henry, healthcare and frontline workers," the release states. "Attaching a moniker to a giant Pacific octopus is usually not so straightforward. Themes, ballots, community votes, and tallies roll on for weeks before a winner is announced."
The octopus, weighing five pounds, arrived at the aquarium on Thursday, June 18, and is settling in well to his new temporary home. The centre has a program to release their octopus ambassador after roughly six months of engaging visitors in an up close and personal underwater experience. Pebbles, the centre’s last octopus was released back to the wild shortly after the centre closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in mid-March. The centre has since reopened.
Dr. Henry, beloved by B.C. residents, has multiple social media fan clubs, and is known for her cool, collected demeanour when delivering the province's daily COVID-19 updates.
READ MORE: X-Men's Olivia Munn handing her social media accounts to Dr. Bonnie Henry for one day
She's been featured in the The New York Times and had Fluevog shoes designed after her.
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News from © iNFOnews, 2020