Giraffe grabs toddler in astonishing safari incident in Texas

A terrifying incident occurred during a safari trip in Texas. A giraffe suddenly stuck its head into a convertible car and grabbed a small child by her shirt, horrifying her parents.

A family with a two-year-old daughter went on a trip to Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Glen Rose, in central Texas. The frightening unfolding situation was recorded on video and shared on CNN's social media.

"We stopped to feed the giraffes and I turned around to look out the back window. That's when I saw the giraffe kind of digging around, and then it just grabbed her," recounted Jason Toten, father of two-year-old Paisley, while speaking to CNN.

"She wasn’t even scared. My heart stopped, my stomach dropped… it scared me," said Jason Toten to CNN.

"Paisley was holding the bag and the giraffe went to go get the bag, not get her, but ended up getting her shirt too and picking her up," he said.

In the recording, you can hear the girl's mother's scream, which probably scared the giraffe. The animal then released the two-year-old straight into the woman's arms. Fortunately, Paisley was unharmed.

The parents decided to make up for their daughter's traumatic experience. Immediately after the trip, they took her shopping to buy Paisley a plush giraffe.

Fossil Rim Wildlife Center is renowned for breeding endangered species, or those that conservationists fear may soon become extinct. The facility is home to over a thousand animals from 50 species, including cheetahs, gnus, fallow deer, rhinos, turtles, wolves, bison, and giraffes.