Dad of Toddler Lifted by Giraffe at Texas Wildlife Center Says 'My Heart Stopped' During Incident

A giraffe at a wildlife center in Texas was captured on video lifting a toddler out of a vehicle by her shirt.

The giraffe dropped 2-year-old Paisley Toten back into the bed of the flatbed truck soon after lifting her.

The incident occurred at the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Glenrose, Texas.

Visitors there are given food to feed the animals, but the giraffe may have confused the young girl’s shirt with a bag of food, her father says.“The giraffe went to get the bag, not get her, but ended up getting her shirt, too, and picking her up,” Jason Toten tells Inside Edition.

Other videos show visitors feeding the giraffes from cars and open-air tour buses. The park’s website says that riding in the back of a pick-up truck is not allowed.

“My heart stopped, my stomach dropped. It scared me,” Jason says.

Zoo Miami’s Ron Magil says people, for the most part, do not have to be afraid of giraffes.

“This wasn’t an aggressive gesture at all by this giraffe. This giraffe was simply reaching for some food but it got a little bit more in its mouth than it bargained for,” Magil says. “Humans should not be afraid of giraffes, they should be fascinated by giraffes. These are gentle animals.”

Paisley’s parents say the 2-year-old was not hurt or emotionally scarred by the incident. After, Paisley picked out a giraffe toy from the gift shop.

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