A giraffe at a Texas zoo stunned onlookers when it lifted a toddler into the air by pulling her by her shirt collar.
Luckily, the giraffe let go of the child almost immediately, so the toddler wasn’t injured at all. However, this potentially scary moment has gone viral online as many social media users comment on the surprising interaction.
Visiting a Texas Zoo
Paisley Toten, a two-year-old toddler, was visiting the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center, located in Glen Rose, Texas, early this June alongside her parents, Sierra Robert and Jason Toten.
This wildlife center allows visitors to drive on a path through the zoo to see the animals up close. This also gives visitors a chance to feed friendly animals, such as giraffes.
Riding in the Bed of a Truck
This Texas zoo also allows visitors to ride in truck beds during their travels through the center. However, children can only ride in the truck bed as long as an adult is present with them.
This policy further encourages friendly interactions between people and animals that live in the sanctuary.
Feeding Giraffes
The Toten family was visiting the zoo, simply following the path of cars on the trail that everyone else was on, when a giraffe walked over to their truck bed.
This giraffe was eating snacks people were offering it. So, it went over to the truck bed to find Robert with her daughter, Paisley.
A Horrifying Few Seconds
One moment, the mother and daughter were laughing at the giraffe lowering its head to search for snacks. The next moment, Paisley was lifted up by the giraffe, into the air and out of her mother’s arms.
To do this, the giraffe bit the toddler’s shirt collar and picked her up above the truck bed. For only a few horrifying seconds, the toddler was fully in the giraffe’s grasp.
A Safe Landing
However, this scary situation quickly ended when the giraffe let go of the child’s shirt, allowing her to drop back into her mother’s arms.
Paisley wasn’t hurt at all, and the giraffe didn’t proceed to act aggressively or dangerously to the family — or anyone else — after this stunning moment.
Eyewitnesses Watch in Horror
This incident was caught on camera by Robert and another visitor a few cars behind the family. At first, it appeared eyewitnesses watched in horror during these few seconds when the giraffe had Paisley by the shirt.
Lindsay Merrirmen, a visitor who saw this moment, explained, “My daughter was recording a giraffe eating out of people’s hands and dipping its head in sunroofs. We were 3 cars behind a red truck and saw the giraffe accidentally grab a little girl’s shirt along with the food and lift her from the bed of the truck.”
The Giraffe’s Mistake
Paisley’s father, Jason Toten, also spoke out about this incident, explaining how the scary moment was simply a mistake by a giraffe who was looking for food.
“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,” Jason explained, adding, “As soon as she went up, her mom yelled, ‘Hey!’ and the giraffe let go.”
A Brave Toddler
Paisley’s parents further claimed that their toddler wasn’t even scared by the interaction — even though they clearly were. “My heart stopped,” Toten said.
Robert, meanwhile, posted a video of their enjoyable, yet momentarily scary, trip, writing, “So we took a trip to fossil rim today and it was a blast buttttt…. I would discourage you from riding in the back of the truck.”
The Zoo’s Response
The wildlife center was quick to make a statement to discuss the situation, explaining that they always consider the safety of both their visitors and animals incredibly important. They also stated that nothing like this had ever happened before.
“Although an incident like this has never occurred here previously, we are taking immediate action to make sure it won’t happen again,” the statement read.
A Change in Policy
Fossil Rim further stated that they would no longer offer visitors the opportunity to ride throughout the zoo in truck beds. This decision was made to keep all guests and animals safe.
Paisley’s parents have since expressed their sorrow over this decision, as they truly had a great time. They don’t blame the zoo or the giraffe for this incident.
A Toddler’s Memorable Day
After the family assured everyone that Paisley was okay — and that they weren’t angry at all that this accident happened — they shared how they ended their trip to the zoo.
They headed to the wildlife center’s gift shop to purchase Paisley a stuffed toy giraffe, along with a matching shirt, so that she could remember this remarkable day.
