6-year-old boy was wrapped tightly by a giant octopus while going to the aquarium with his mother

(Dan Tri) - A 6-year-old boy in the US had his arm tightly wrapped around by a giant octopus, leaving bruises from his wrist to his armpit. The mother said the animal tried to crawl out, as if it wanted to eat her son.

The incident happened at the San Antonio Aquarium (Texas, USA) on July 14, when little Leo and his mother Britney Taryn came to visit.

In a video shared on TikTok, Britney said her child had a giant Pacific octopus clinging to his hand while visiting the exhibit area, where he could interact with animals.

"My son is very calm when it comes to animals. So when he reached in and said, 'Mommy, it won't let go of my hand,' I knew something was wrong. I helped him down the steps and tried to pull his hand away from the octopus, but the animal wouldn't let go. It started crawling out of the tank, half of its body was out as if it wanted to eat my son," Britney said.

The boy's arm was injured by an octopus tentacle (Photo: NBC News).

Little Leo’s arms were clearly covered in dark purple bruises left by the octopus’s tentacles. Britney said this was not the first time the mother and son had come here, and had even encountered the animal before.

A representative of the San Antonio Aquarium later spoke out to affirm that "the safety of guests, staff and animals is a top priority." They emphasized that the octopus display area is not an interactive tank, but "a 1,000-gallon (about 3,800l) tank designed with high walls to ensure the safety of both people and animals."

According to the aquarium, to touch the octopus, one must "lean over the edge of the tank and reach down about 60cm". Therefore, the aquarium believes that the mother "carried her child over the barrier, allowing the child to reach into the tank without supervision from staff".

Aquarium where the incident occurred (Photo: Mirror).

The aquarium also said that the octopus was not aggressive or intended to cause harm, but only showed its usual curious behavior of "curiously touching and holding the child's hand."

"Staff promptly intervened and removed the child from the situation to ensure safety," the announcement said.

They also said the octopus was healthy, well cared for, and had never shown dangerous behavior towards guests or staff.

However, Britney completely denied the information that she actively carried her child over the fence. "That is a fabrication, slanderous," she shared with the media.

Britney said no one offered her son medical help after the incident, nor was she asked to sign any form. She later emailed the aquarium to report the incident, expressing concerns for the safety of the animals and the public, but received no response.

"This area has never had a caretaker. Visitors are free to interact with the animals without supervision. The only sign is a feeding guide. I was with many other adults at the time and we can all confirm this," Britney confirmed.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) also spoke out after the incident. In a statement on August 1, PETA called the San Antonio Aquarium a “cruel place for animal exploitation” and said that “contacts like this are bound to result in accidents.”

"Forcing shy animals like octopuses to come into contact with a series of intrusive hands is unnatural and traumatizing," PETA wrote.

The organization also asked the aquarium to release the octopus back into its natural environment or move it to a place where it can live peacefully.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/du-lich/be-trai-6-tuoi-bi-bach-tuoc-khong-lo-quan-chat-khi-di-thuy-cung-cung-me-20250806184151357.htm