Fossil Rim Wildlife Center changes visitor policies after viral video of giraffe grabbing toddler

GLEN ROSE, Texas - A North Texas family is talking about their too-close-for-comfort encounter with a giraffe.

Cell phone video from last Saturday shows the giraffe at the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center taking some food from a toddler's hand. But then it grabbed the little girl, lifting her up a little bit before dropping her back into the truck.

The girl was not hurt. 

The child’s parents, Sierra Robert and Jason Toten, spoke with Good Morning America on Thursday.

"It was just really shock. Adrenaline sets in," Robert said. "Like it was all in slow motion.

"Heart just stopped," Toten said.

Fossil Rim is located in the Somervell County city of Glen Rose, 75 miles southwest of Dallas.

In a statement to FOX 4, the wildlife center says, "Although an incident like this has never occurred here previously, we are taking immediate action to make sure it won't happen again. Effective immediately, Fossil Rim will no longer be allowing guests to ride through the park in truck beds."

 This is not the first time a giraffe at Fossil Rim has made the news.

Last October, a giraffe playfully stuck its head through a family’s sunroof.  However, the family in the car said the giraffe appeared to lose its footing and fell onto their windshield. It panicked, flailed its limbs and broke glass before running away. 

 It was a different scenario than what was captured on video Saturday.

"Just trying to get some food, and it got a little bit more than it bargained for," Toten said.

The child’s mother posted on Facebook, saying she does not blame the park or the giraffe for what happened.