A Texas family was left stunned when a giraffe picked up their toddler from the back of their truck as they rode through a wildlife park.
Paisley Toten, 2, was feeding the animal from the bed of her parents’ vehicle at the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center when it reached down to grab a snack from her brown paper bag and bit her shirt, lifting her into the air.
The stunning encounter was caught on video by the family and other guests at the park who witnessed it.
She leaned forward to catch the child which the giraffe dropped back her into her arms, according to the Austin American-Statesman.
The girl’s father, Jason Toten was driving the truck when the incident happened. He was looking out the back window when the shocking incident went down.
The father says he holds no ill will against the animal and described the incident as accidental. He said his family did not break any rules during the incident.
“Paisley was holding the bag and the giraffe went to go get the bag, not get her, but ended up getting her shirt too and picking her up,” he told KWTX, a CBS affiliate.
Still, he said, “My heart stopped, my stomach dropped… it scared me.” The father said he got Paisley a toy giraffe from the gift shop following the ordeal she suffered, saying she “deserved it.”
Fossil Rim Wildlife Center is a nonprofit conservation center in Glen Rose, Texas. The park does not have a policy against letting guests sit in the bed of pickup trucks. Families are encouraged to ride their own vehicles through the drive-through safari.
The drive spans 7.2 miles through Texas Hill Country with visitors allowed to feed the giraffes as they go.
