Drive-in wildlife center where giraffe grabbed toddler changes rules after viral incident

Video of a Giraffe grabs a toddler from the back of a pickup truck at Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Texas went viral this week, and now the park is making changes to its rules to prevent incidents like this one.

Jason Toten said his 2-year-old daughter, Paisley, was with her mother in the back of his pickup truck, feeding the animals along the drive-through wildlife park. When they stopped to feed a giraffe, the animal grabbed Paisley by her shirt and lifted her feet into the air before letting them fall again.

“My heart stopped, I felt sick… I was scared,” Toten said.

People in the car behind them captured the frightening moment on video. CBS News also recently obtained video from Toten’s wife, who captured the incident from her point of view.

Toten said it was just an accident – the giraffe was reaching for food and accidentally latched onto his daughter. He also said they followed all park rules, including keeping car doors closed, feeding the animals with cups – not hands – and staying 15 metres away from the gates.

However, the park announced that it was changing its rules effective immediately.

“We were recently made aware of an incident involving one of our giraffes that occurred this past weekend,” a Fossil Rim representative told CBS News via email. “The incident was first reported to us on Monday, June 3. The safety of our guests and animals is always of the utmost importance to us.”

The park has never experienced anything like this before and they want to make sure it doesn’t happen again. “Effective immediately, Fossil Rim will no longer allow guests to ride in the back of a truck through the park,” the representative said. “Fossil Rim offers a variety of experiences led by knowledgeable staff so guests can continue to have up-close and memorable animal encounters and support our mission to save threatened and endangered species.”

The incident did not deter the family – Toten said they would come back. And Paisley received a stuffed giraffe from the gift shop after the bumpy ride.