Giraffe Accidentally Snatches Little Girl in Drive-Thru Safari

A Texas couple had an unexpected encounter with a giraffe at a drive-through safari over the weekend, when the animal accidentally grabbed their two-year-old daughter. And the brief but terrifying incident was all caught on video.

The family were visiting the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Glen Rose, TX, which allows visitors to drive through the facility on a path while the exotic and endangered animals roam free. People are also allowed to feed the animals, and the girl, Paisley Toten, was siting in the back of a pickup truck with her mother feeding the giraffe when it grabbed her shirt and lifted her clear into the air.

However, the giraffe hadn’t meant to grab the toddler’s shirt, but the bag of food she was holding, and dropped her moments later as her mother cried out.

Speaking with KWTX News 10 in Central Texas, the girl’s father, Jason Toten, explained exactly what had happened.

“We stopped to feed the giraffes and I turned around to look out the back window, and I saw the giraffe kind of digging around right there,” Toten later recalled. “And then it just grabbed her and I didn’t see her no more.”

Toten maintains that it was an accident, and that they hadn’t broken any rules and the giraffe hadn’t meant to cause any harm.

“Paisley was holding the bag like this, and the giraffe went to get the bag, not get her, but ended up getting her shirt too and picking her up,” he added. “As soon as she went up, her mom just yelled ‘Hey!’ and the giraffe just kinda let go.”

Even the most harmless wild animals are still wild animals, and the family’s ordeal highlights the importance of staying cautious and alert even in situations that don’t appear threatening. As travelers flock to national parks this summer, it’s certainly a good thing to keep in mind.