Giraffe snatches toddler at drive-thru safari in Texas

A family who visited a drive-thru safari in Texas got more than what they bargained for as a giraffe ended up snatching their 2-year-old daughter. 

In the incident captured on camera, little Paisley got lifted up and dropped by a hungry giraffe while she and her family were visiting the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Glen Rose, Texas, cruising through in their truck.

She was riding in the truck bed with her mom when her dad stopped so they could feed a giraffe. The animal reached down for a bag of food the toddler was holding, grabbing hold of her shirt.

The giraffe lifted Paisley up with its mouth, frightening the girl’s parents. Fortunately, all it took to get the giraffe to let loose was Paisley’s mom shouting, “Hey!”

Paisley fell back into her mother’s arms and somehow wasn’t harmed by the animal encounter, though her daddy told KWTX, “My heart stopped, my stomach dropped … it scared me.”

Paisley was holding the bag of food down by her chest when she got snatched. The FRWC says it’s best to hold food pellets above your head when trying to feed giraffes.

Despite the scary moment on the trail, Paisley’s parents say they will bring her back again. After their safari ended, Paisley’s parents bought her a giraffe stuffed animal at the gift shop.