Texas aquarium defends octopus after it left a 6-year-old boy covered by bruises-foxes that mom “leaned” him

San Antonio Aquarium defends his giant pacific octopus after that left a 6-year-old boy’s arm covered with bruises.

The incident occurred during a July 14 -visit, which the boy’s mother, Britney Taryn, later spoke in a viral Tiktok video. “The octopus is starting to come out of the thought, and the reason we don’t have pictures or videos of this is because my friend also cheated,” she reminded at that time and allowed the octopus wrapped around Leo’s arm and “not released.”

Now San Antonio Aquarium treats the event. “At San Antonio Aquarium, the security and well -being of our guests, staff and animals is our highest priorities,” says a representative of the aquarium.

According to the representative, the octopus exhibition – which is not described as a touch tank – “includes a 1,000 gallon habitat intentionally designed with a high barrier to provide security for both guests and the animal.”

“Reaching the octopus requires a person to lean completely above the wall of the casing and reach about 24 inches from the top,” is the representative. “In this case, the guest leaned his child over the exhibition barrier, which allowed him to reach into the living environment without staff monitoring.”

The behavior that the octopus showed towards the boy, says the representative, was “typically, curious behavior by moving and keeping the child’s arm.”

“At no time the octopus was aggressive or tried to harm the child,” the statement continues. “Our staff responded quickly to help ensure that the child was safely removed from the interaction. We want to emphasize that our giant Pacific octopus is a healthy, well -kept animal that thrives in its habitat and does not exhibit harmful behavior towards guests or staff,”

The statement ends, “Octopus is very intelligent and curious creatures, and their interaction with humans is often playful and exploratory. But as with all animal meetings there are inherent risks, which is why we have strict protocols to ensure security for everyone.”

In a new statement to humans, Taryn repeats that she does not blame the octopus. “” We understand that its behavior is completely natural, “Taryn tells People.” Our goal is to advocate for better conditions for the animals and make sure they are housed in environments that are safe and suitable. ”

Taryn also deals with the aquarium’s claims that she lowered her son closer to the exhibition. “San Antonio Aquarium’s response is not only false; it is defamatory and seems to be a deliberate attempt to divert attention from the serious issues,” she says.

“Contrary to the Aquarium’s claims, no medical care was offered for my son, and I was not asked to sign an incident report,” Taryn tells People. “Several other adults were with me at that time and can attest this. Since the sign was never my intention, I first sent an e -mail message to formally document the event of concern for the animal and the safety of others, but I received no answer.”

Taryn continues, “Usually the contact with the octopus in that exhibition would only be possible by lifting a child over the glass, something we have done before in direct staff instruction. This tank is never manned and the public is often left to interact with the animals without supervision. The only sign provides instructions for a feeding meeting.”

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In response to the event, people for ethical treatment of animals (Poke) requires the giant pacific octopus to be released.

In a statement released on August 1, the organization said: “This slimy facility’s exploitative encounters is a recipe for disaster, as damage is abundant when shy animals such as octopus are denied everything natural and important to them and exposed to a barrier to grabing their hands.”

The statement continued, “For everyone’s sake, Peta San Antonio Aquarium urges to stop forcing wildlife to interact with humans and release this octopus to her natural habitat, if possible, or an accredited facility where she can finally live in peace.