A video circulating on social media shows a giraffe snatching a 2-year-old girl out of a truck at a Texas drive-thru safari.
Paisley Toten, 2, and her family were visiting the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center Saturday when the incident took place, according to KBTX News. The toddler was reportedly sitting in the back of a pickup truck with her mom, who was feeding the giraffe, the family told the outlet.
In the video captured by an onlooker in a car behind the Toten family, the giraffe can be seen leaning over the truck, grabbing the toddler by her shirt and hoisting her in the air.
The animal quickly releases the child and she can be seen falling into her mother’s arms.
A Texas family went through a heart-dropping scare at a drive-thru safari park earlier this month when a giraffe reached into their pickup truck and grabbed their 2-year-old daughter, hoisting her in the air. pic.twitter.com/5BghF85TTc
— CBS News (@CBSNews) June 5, 2024
“My heart stopped, my stomach dropped … it scared me,” Paisley’s father, Jason Toten, told KBTX.
“We stopped to feed the giraffes and I turned around to look out the back window. That’s when I saw the giraffe kind of digging around and then it just grabbed her,” Toten told the outlet.
“Paisley was holding the bag, and the giraffe went to go get the bag, not her, but it ended up getting her shirt too and picked her up,” he added.
“As soon as she went up, her mom yelled, ‘Hey!’ and the giraffe let go,” Toten told the outlet.
Paisley was not injured due to the incident, the outlet noted. (RELATED: Terrifying Video Appears To Show Moment Elephant Charges, Kills American Tourist).
After the incident, the family took the 2-year-old to the gift shop and bought her a giraffe stuffed animal, Toten told KBTX.
“Although an incident like this has never occurred here previously, we are taking immediate action to make sure it won’t happen again,” the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center said in a statement to ABC News.
“Effective immediately Fossil Rim will no longer be allowing guests to ride through the park in truck beds. Fossil Rim offers a variety of experiences guided by knowledgeable staff so guests can continue to have up-close and memorable animal encounters, and support our mission to save threatened and endangered species,” the statement continued, ABC News noted.