‘It just grabbed her’: Giraffe picks up toddler during family trip to drive-thru safari

GLEN ROSE, Texas (KWTX/Gray News) - A family in Texas says they went through quite the scare when recently visiting a wildlife center.

According to the Toten family, a giraffe accidentally picked their toddler up out of the bed of their truck when they were visiting the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center on June 1.

KWTX reports that park visitors get to drive themselves along a path where exotic and endangered animals roam free at the center.

Visitors are also allowed to feed the animals.

The family said Paisley, 2, was in the back of the pickup truck with her mom feeding the animals when the giraffe grabbed her shirt and lifted the little girl into the air.

Paisley’s father, Jason Toten, said the incident was caught on video by a car behind them.

“We stopped to feed the giraffes and I turned around to look out the back window,” he said. “That’s when I saw the giraffe kind of digging around and then it just grabbed her.”

According to the Toten family, it appeared to be a complete accident and they didn’t break any rules.

“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,” Toten said.

Thankfully, Paisley didn’t get too high up before the giraffe dropped her.

“As soon as she went up, her mom yelled, ‘Hey!’ and the giraffe let go,” Toten said.

Paisley’s father said she ended up falling into her mother’s arms without anyone getting hurt, but it still was a scary moment.

“My heart stopped, my stomach dropped … it scared me,” Toten said.

Afterward, Toten said they went to the gift shop and got Paisley a toy giraffe because “she deserved it.”

The family said they do plan on returning to the park in the future.

According to the wildlife center, visitors are allowed to ride in the bed of a truck if an adult is riding in the back with them and everyone is safely inside the vehicle.