It’s been a busy and exciting week on the island of Mauke. Not only did the New Zealand Army arrive to provide much-needed water servicing support, but the community also welcomed a very unique visitor, Tumu, a large inflatable pink octopus with a powerful environmental message.
Tumu isn’t just any octopus. It’s a symbolic representation of the Casper octopus, a rarely seen deep-sea creature first discovered in 2016 at depths of around 4000 metres near the Hawaiian archipelago. With its pale, ghostly appearance and mysterious naure, the Casper octopus captured global scientific interest and has become a poster species for the need to protect deep-sea ecosystems.
