Wild moment giraffe snatches toddler from car
A father has recalled the heart-stopping moment his toddler was snatched by a giraffe at a safari park in Texas.
Jason Toten, 24, his fiancé Sierra Robert, 23, and their daughter Paisley were at Fossil Rim Wildlife Centre in Glen Rose where visitors can drive-through the park and get close to wild animals.
"We were having a little family day, just getting out of the house," Jason told a local news outlet.
While the family were admiring the view, one giraffe slowly approached them and the pair encouraged their daughter to offer it some food, but within an instant, the two-year-old girl was lifted into the air.
"I looked out the back window and I saw the giraffe … and then up she went," Jason recalled.
The giraffe, who was only trying to grab the bag of food from Paisley, accidentally hoisted the toddler up by her shirt, with other park visitors behind them capturing the wild moment.
Sierra reacted immediately and clung to her child, as she was pulled into the air, and all it took for the giraffe to let go was a stern "hey".
The giraffe then dropped the tot back into the car uninjured, and throughout the entire ordeal Paisley was the bravest of them all.
"I guess it startled the giraffe. She wasn't even scared," Jason recalled.
"As soon as her mom caught her, she went 'oh.'"
"It scared me but after it was all over, we realised everyone was safe and unharmed, and we laughed about it," Jason added.
After the incident, the family took Paisley to the gift shop and "all she wanted was a giraffe toy and a giraffe T-shirt."
"We ended up getting her both, we figured she deserved it."
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