Do you know what seems like an odd pairing? A pickup truck and a giraffe that tries to steal babies. But these two forces came together at a wildlife park in Texas. The giraffe nearly got away with the toddler, too. 

A Giraffe hijacks a toddler from the back of a pickup truck 

What started out as a fun day at a Texas wildlife center quickly turned south as a giraffe picked a toddler up from the back of a pickup truck. 

A family was enjoying the giraffe feeding experience while riding in the back of a truck as the tall, spotted animal approached them. 

The innocent toddler held her hand out with some feed to give the giraffe a treat, but the giraffe kept edging closer. 

You can see the little girl, with her pink shirt and pigtails, move toward the center of the truck bed, and the giraffe continued to get even closer. 

Suddenly, you hear a woman scream as the giraffe lifts the little girl way into the air. Giraffes can be between 16 to 20 feet tall, creating a dangerous drop. But luckily the giraffe put the girl safely in the back of the truck. 

Chief Marking Officer of Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Glen Rose shared that it was notified of an incident involving a giraffe and nothing like that has ever occurred at the park before. 

Then they took immediate action to ensure this event would never happen again. A new rule prevents families from riding in the back of a pickup truck. 

The child’s father shared that the new rule is disappointing, but he will return to the park. It’s a great place to go, especially for kids, if you love animals. 

He explained that it was an accident and the giraffe didn’t mean to. It was just one of them things that happened. The family isn’t mad at the giraffe or the park. 

But they’re lucky that the toddler didn’t suffer a drop and wasn’t thrown. This scenario could have quickly gone wrong in multiple ways. For example, what if the woman screaming startled the giraffe into a panic?