After a day at the zoo, the Dodson family decided to end their visit by feeding the giraffes. They were happy that for only $2, you can feed the long necked mammal a leafy browse.
“I always wanted to feed a giraffe, and I wanted to share that experience with my son” said Mellissa, the 19 month old boys mother. “I knew that my boy would love to be that close to such a beautiful animal.”
At around 1:45 pm, the Dodson family entered the deck where zoo visitors can feed the giraffes. John, the boys father, reports that his wife was holding their son in her arm. When the mother and the son walked over to the giraffe, they got too close to the edge. When the 19 month old boy leaned in to feed the giraffe, Mellissa lost grip, and the boy fell into the pen, landing on a bush 20 feet below.
Ryan, a volunteer in the giraffe exhibit says, “We couldn’t believe when the boy fell in the pen. We didn’t know what we were going to do.” The boys parents were stunned that their son had fallen into the giraffe pen. The boys father says that he was going to jump in after his son. The boys parents were horrified.
But horror quickly turned into relief when Reggie the giraffe, leaned his head down, picked up the 19 month old boy with his teeth, and gave him back to his mother.
“When my son fell in the pen, I was scared to death. I didn’t know what to do. But when the giraffe picked him up and handed him back to me, I was amazed. Amazed and very relieved is all I can say.”
The boys father said it was the most amazing thing he has ever seen. He never saw a giraffe pick up a child, and give him back to his mother before. “One of the coolest things I’ve ever seen” the boys father was quoted.
Other than a scrape on his elbow, the boy was unharmed. We tried to interview the boy, but he declined comment. He also asked us not to use his name for this news story. As for Reggie the giraffe, he was given an extra leafy browse for helping save the boy.
“Reggie is a true hero” says David Smith, the head zoo keeper for the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore. “We are so proud of our giraffe.”
The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore is open daily from 10:00am until 4:00pm. Visitors can come see and feed the amazing giraffe from 10:30am until 3:30pm daily, weather permitting.
