Earlier this month, a Texas family encountered a frightening moment at a drive-thru safari park when a giraffe reached into their pickup truck and raised their 2-year-old daughter into the air.
Giraffe Grabs 2-Year-Old Daughter in Truck
The circumstances happened at Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Glen Rose, Texas, where guests drive along a trail and can feed animals such as cheetahs, emus, zebras, and wildebeests from their vehicles.
Jason Toten said, "We stopped to feed the giraffes, and I turned around to look out the back window." "That's when I saw the giraffe rummaging around, and then it grabbed her."
The giraffe had grabbed his 2-year-old daughter, Paisley, by her shirt from the back of their pickup truck. The animal raised her a few feet into the air, suggesting her mother, who was in the truck bed with her, shout at the giraffe, causing it to discharge her.
The whole event was filmed by the occupants of the car behind them, who later shared the footage with the family.
Toten explained that it seemed to be an accident and that they had not violated any park rules, which included keeping car doors closed, feeding animals with cups rather than hands, and maintaining a distance of 50 feet from gates.
"Paisley was holding the bag, and the giraffe went for the bag but ended up grabbing her shirt too and lifting her," he said.
"My heart stopped, my stomach dropped... it scared me," he said.
Despite the scare, the circumstances didn't frighten the family. Toten mentioned they would visit again, and Paisley received a stuffed giraffe from the souvenir shop as a memento after the ordeal.
Two-Year-Old Child Was Feeding the Giraffe
Two-year-old Paisley Toten was feeding the giraffe from the bed of her parents' vehicle at the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center when the giraffe reached down to grab a snack from her brown paper bag and inadvertently caught her shirt, lifting her into the air.
According to the Austin American-Statesman, the girl's father, Jason Toten, was driving the truck at the time of the circumstances. He witnessed the startling event through the back window. He holds no animosity towards the giraffe, describing the occurrence as accidental. He confirmed that his family did not violate any rules during the incident.
He said, "Paisley was holding the bag, and the giraffe went for the bag, not her, but accidentally grabbed her shirt and lifted her."
Nevertheless, he admitted, "My heart stopped, my stomach dropped... it scared me." The father bought Paisley a toy giraffe from the gift shop following the trouble, declaring that she "deserved it."
Fossil Rim Wildlife Center, a nonprofit conservation center in Glen Rose, Texas, does not hinder guests from sitting in the bed of pickup trucks.
Families are promoting driving their vehicles through the safari, which spans 7.2 miles through the Texas Hill Country, permitting visitors to feed the giraffes along the way.
