An octopus attacked a 6-year-old boy at a Texas aquarium in a terrifying scene for the family. The young boy had been at an interactive exhibit at the San Antonio Aquarium. That's when the animal grabbed onto the boy's arm.
The mom has accused workers of brushing off their concerns and the attack as the octopus just playing. However, Britney Taryn showed off her son Leo's injuries on TikTok. The boy had several bruises on his arms where the animal latched on and wouldn't let go.
"The octopus started to come out, up over the glass. My friend and I were not sure what to do. There's no employees around so we started yelling for help," Taryn told local station KSAT. "The employee came up and just said, 'Oh, she's super playful today.' And then he could not get the octopus off."
The aquarium worker went and got two other workers to help get the tentacles off the boy. It took the three of them several minutes to free Leo from the animal's grasp. It left him with several deep purple bruises on his right arm. The mother is placing the blame with the aquarium for not protecting its guests.
Octopus Attacks Boy
She filed an animal welfare complaint with the United States Department of Agriculture. She said "the employees on-site downplayed the incident."
"If she really wanted to, she could totally bite me," the handler said in the clip. "She just loves people."
The octopus was part of San Antonio Aquarium's "Animal Encounters" exhibit. You can interact directly with the animals.
"Guests are encouraged to hand-feed some of our animals and pet with a gentle two-finger touch on their back," the website said.
However, the mom believes this could lead to future problems.
"I'm just worried something worse is going to happen ... I don't want anything to happen to any more kids, any adults," she told KSAT. "I don't want anything to happen to the octopus. We would love to see [the octopus] at a rescue, where it can live out the rest of its life. We would love to see it have a peaceful, untouched existence."
