In a shocking incident, an Octopus attacked a boy, 6, at the San Antonio Aquarium in Texas while the child was observing it at an interactive exhibit. The aquatic animal clung to her son and tried coming out of the glass tank, according to the boy’s mother, Britney Taryn.
Taryn said that the employees initially brushed off the incident when she yelled for help. The worker who walked over said the aquatic animal was “super playful” that day. Taryn then said it took nearly five minutes and three workers to get the Octopus from the boy, Leo.
Taryn shared several videos and photos of the giant Pacific octopus on TikTok, describing the incident. The social media post went viral online, with two of them garnering over a million views. A few of the photos show purple bruises on Leo’s hands. The mother said her son remained calm throughout the encounter.
“It was suctioned onto him, and so I tried to help him get down and away from the glass. The octopus started to come out, up over the glass. My friend and I were not sure what to do. There were no employees around, so we started yelling for help. The employee came up and just said, ‘Oh, she’s super playful today.’ And then he could not get the octopus off. He was very relaxed about the whole thing, so I was relaxed because he knows so much about animals, about octopuses”, the mother told KSAT.
Alaska Octopus Projects
The mother-son duo then checked on the aquatic animal after two hours, and it made eye contact with the boy. Taryn said the Octopus turned white and came too close to her child. Later, the mother contacted the Texas State Aquarium, and they suggested she reach out to the United States Department of Agriculture. She filed an animal welfare complaint with the department. The department informed her that Octopuses are not subject to AWA regulations because they are not covered under the Animal Welfare Act.
Taryn contacted the aquarium several times to inform them about the visit and check if any changes had been made. The mother said she just wanted to know if the authorities moved the Octopus, or made any positive changes, since the aquarium never contacted her back. She also reached out to multiple aquariums in the country.
“I’m just worried something worse is going to happen… I don’t want anything to happen to any more kids, any adults. I don’t want anything to happen to the octopus. So we’re just trying to help. We would love to see [the octopus] at a rescue, where it can live out the rest of its life”, the mother shared.
Alaska Octopus Projects
The San Antonio Aquarium posted a video of the giant Pacific octopus on TikTok, several days after the incident. The video shows the employee touching the Octopus named Cthulhu and explaining its suction cup.
“I promise it’s not a cosmic cry for help… bruises or hickeys will disappear within seven to 14 days. They’re not harmful or anything like that. If she really wanted to, she could totally bite me. She just loves people”, the employee says in a video posted on TikTok.
The official website of the San Antonio Aquarium lists an Animal Encounters exhibit. It is a place where children can touch and interact with several animals, including armadillos, penguins, octopuses, and lemurs.
“Guests are encouraged to hand-feed some of our animals and pet them with a gentle two-finger touch on their back”, the website stated.
