Animals are pissed about the paparazzi. First an eagle snatched a camera in rural Australia and tried to peck it to bits. Then a crab stole some honeymooners’ GoPro and attempted to bury it. Now an octopus has now tried to wrestle away a scuba diver’s camera — which, yes, makes this the perfect trifecta that precedes all New York Times trend pieces. WHO WILL WIN, nature or technology? (Hint: Not nature. Has the past century taught you nothing?)
Watch the battle unfold:
The altercation took place in Bluefish Cove in Carmel, Calif. Bay Area diver David Malvestuto graciously agreed not to press charges against the octopus, as ultimately his camera was returned. As he told a CBS affiliate:
I was a little worried that the octopus wasn’t actually going to come off his camera. I just wanted to make sure I had it on video. Otherwise the people on land would never believe us … We didn’t bother it. We didn’t put it in a dangerous situation, so I think it was more or less just curious.
Malvestuto was using a GoPro, making us wonder if this animal video theft thing is an elaborately orchestrated PR stunt. Either that or animals are fed up with our NSA-level intrusion. Probably best to stick to cat pictures.