A family in Texas got more than they bargained for when they took their 2-year-old daughter on a drive-thru safari… because a giraffe grabbed the child… literally!
This wild weekend encounter was caught on camera, showing the little moment Paisley was picked up and dropped by a hungry giraffe while she and her family visited the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Glen Rose, TX… traveling in their truck.
Paisley was riding in the back of the truck with her mother when her father stopped so they could feed a giraffe… and that’s when the giant animal reached down to grab a bag of food the child was holding, grabbing his shirt.
The giraffe lifted Paisley into the air with its mouth, scaring the girl’s parents. Luckily, all it took to release the giraffe was Paisley’s mom yelling, “Hey!”
Paisley fell back into her mother’s arms and was somehow not injured by the encounter with the animal…although her father told KWTX, “My heart stopped, my stomach dropped…it scared me.”
Exotic and endangered animals roam freely in this facility, by the way – that’s why there are a lot of animals around without any barriers – and visitors can drive down a path and feed the creatures. Obviously, things can get a little complicated… like they did here.
Paisley was holding the bag of food close to her chest when she was kidnapped… and FRWC says it’s best to hold food pellets above your head when trying to feed giraffes… probably for this reason.
Despite the scary moment on the trail, Paisley’s parents say they will bring her back. After the safari ended, Paisley’s parents bought her a stuffed giraffe from the gift shop.
No harm, no foul, it seems.