An octopus attacked a 6-year-old boy at an interactive exhibit at the San Antonio Aquarium, according to his mother — who also claimed workers brushed off the incident involving what they called the “super playful” creature.
Mom Britney Taryn went viral on TikTok with claims that an octopus at a petting section of the aquarium latched onto her son Leo’s arm, leaving him severely bruised with suction hickeys after a nightmare July 14 visit.
“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 mother recounted.
The worker ended up having to call two other San Antonio Aquarium employees to help pry the grippy tentacles off the boy’s arm.
It took three workers a total of five minutes to wrestle the boy free from the mini-kraken, according to Taryn.
Leo suffered deep purple suction cup bruises up and down his right arm that spanned from his wrist to his armpit, photos showed.
During their many previous visits to the touch-tank, an aquarium employee is generally by the octopus tank to guide interactions, Taryn told KSAT.
Taryn filed an animal welfare complaint with the United States Department of Agriculture that claimed Leo “sustained extensive suction bruises” and that “the employees on-site downplayed the incident.”
On TikTok, the avenging mom has a pinned video of one of the handlers at the San Antonio Aquarium seemingly overwhelmed by an unruly octopus which latches onto her arm.
In that clip, from the San Antonio Aquarium TikTok, the employee explains that octopuses are naturally curious and further that they have a poisonous beak.
“If she really wanted to, she could totally bite me,” the handler said in the clip, adding, “She just loves people.”
San Antonio Aquarium’s website lists an “Animal Encounters” exhibit on its website where children can touch and interact with a variety of animals including armadillos, penguins, octopus, and lemurs.
“Guests are encouraged to hand-feed some of our animals and pet with a gentle two-finger touch on their back,” the website said.
Taryn stated she does not want retribution against the animal but is thinking of children’s welfare.
“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,” she said, adding, “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.”
The San Antonio Aquarium did not respond to The Post’s request for comment.
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