A 6-year-old boy suffered bruising to his arm after a giant octopus grabbed it and refused to let go. The boy’s mother, Britney Taryn, shared the story online, even showing suction bruises on the 6-year-old’s arm.
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Taryn shared the story of the incident in a now-deleted TikTok video cited by PEOPLE. According to the mother, the incident occurred back on July 14 at the San Antonio Aquarium in Texas.
Her son, Leo, had grown fond of a giant Pacific octopus that had been the motive of their constant visits for the past years.
“My son has visited the same octopus every week for three years,” Taryn reportedly said. “She always loved him until today, when she tried to pull him into the tank.”
While touching the sea creature, according to Taryn, the octopus grabbed Leo’s arm. Despite her best efforts to pull him away from the octopus, the animal wouldn’t let go.
“The octopus starts coming out of the tank,” Taryn added. “The reason we don’t have pictures or videos of this is because my friend was also freaking out.”
It took three employees to finally get Leo’s arm out of the octopus’s embrace, as per Taryn.
Not only was the grabbing itself worrisome, but the characteristics of the octopus could have potentially led to a worse result.
As reported by The Mirror, the giant Pacific octopus is venomous, although its venom is not lethal for human beings. While no venom was released by the creature, Leo could have potentially suffered from further pain and swelling.
Incident Yet To Be Addressed
Taryn then shared her son’s suction bruises caused by the octopus in multiple TikTok videos. She, however, refuses to call the incident an “attack,” and, as reported by NBC News, she even returned to visit the same octopus following the grabbing incident, with Leo describing the creature as a “friend.”
The San Antonio Aquarium, while not referencing Leo’s incident, then posted a TikTok video about the bruises octopi can cause. An employee added that these bruises, which are not harmful, will disappear in the span of a week or two. Users noted, however, how the octopus shown in the video started grabbing the employee’s arm.
Meanwhile, Britney Taryn shared in another follow-up video that she contacted the aquarium to have them formally document the incident involving her son. She also denounced the alleged mistreatment of animals and the lack of appropriate safety protocols at the aquarium.
Currently, she is campaigning for better living conditions for the animals at the location. Taryn said she has yet to hear back from them.