SAN ANTONIO – A woman is calling for changes at the San Antonio Aquarium after she says an octopus attacked her son.
In videos posted to TikTok that have gone viral, Britney Taryn describes the giant Pacific octopus attacking her 6-year-old son, Leo. Two of the videos surpassed 1 million views as of Wednesday.
Taryn told KSAT that she and Leo have been members at the aquarium for years. Leo is an animal lover, and he said his favorite part of visiting is seeing the octopus.
But during their last visit on July 14, Taryn said the octopus acted differently. Leo was left covered in purple bruises after the octopus clung onto him, refusing to let go.
Taryn said she reached out to the Texas State Aquarium, which recommended she file an animal welfare complaint to the United States Department of Agriculture.
In the complaint, she said her son “sustained extensive suction bruises” and “the employees on-site downplayed the incident.”
The department informed her that octopuses are not covered under the Animal Welfare Act and are not subject to AWA regulations.
KSAT reached out to the San Antonio Aquarium and has not heard back as of 11:30 a.m. Thursday.
According to Taryn, visitors are allowed to touch the octopus, which is also listed as an “encounter” on the aquarium’s website.
The aquarium opened in 2014 in Leon Valley, according to its website, and provides “unique interactive experiences.”
“Guests are encouraged to hand-feed some of our animals and pet with a gentle two-finger touch on their back,” the website says.
In the past, Taryn said an employee would stand near the tank, encouraging people to interact with the octopus. On their most recent visit, she said no staff member was nearby.
When the octopus clung to Leo and started coming out of the tank, Taryn said she yelled for help. She said an employee walked over, noting how “playful” the octopus was that day.
In the end, Taryn said it took about five minutes and three employees to get the octopus off Leo, which left him with marks from his wrist to his armpit.
Taryn said Leo was calm throughout the whole encounter.
“He was very, just relaxed about the whole thing, so I was relaxed … because he knows so much about animals, so much about octopuses,” she said.
When they checked on the octopus around two hours later, she said the octopus made eye contact with Leo, turned white and came close to him.
She said she contacted the aquarium multiple times about the visit and returned to see if any changes had been made.
“I just wanted to make sure that maybe they’ve shut it down, maybe they’ve moved the octopus … and it was not, we were not contacted back,” she said.
Days later, the San Antonio Aquarium posted a TikTok of the octopus, named Cthulhu, with an employee. In the video, the employee touches the octopus and explains how its suction cups work.
“I promise it’s not a cosmic cry for help … bruises or hickeys will disappear within seven to 14 days,” the employee says in another video. “They’re not harmful or anything like that.”
Calling for change
Since the visit, Taryn said she has since learned the aquarium is not accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums.
Taryn said she also contacted U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, filed a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service report, and reached out to SeaWorld and multiple other aquariums.
The San Antonio Aquarium’s most recent inspection report, conducted on April 2, found “no non-compliant items.”
“I’m just worried something worse is going to happen. … I don’t want anything to happen to any more kids, any adults,” she said. “I don’t want anything to happen to the octopus. So we’re just trying to help.
Now, Taryn said she’s advocating for better treatment for all the animals at the aquarium.
“We would love to see (the octopus) at a rescue, where it can live out the rest of its life,” she said. “We would love to see it have a peaceful, untouched existence.”
PETA responds
After our story was published, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) sent KSAT a response to this encounter.
“This slimy facility’s exploitative encounters are a recipe for disaster, as injuries abound when timid animals such as octopuses are denied everything natural and important to them and subjected to a barrage of grabbing hands. For everyone’s sake, PETA is calling on the San Antonio Aquarium to stop forcing wild animals 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,” said Rebecca Smudzinski, the associate director of captive wildlife PETA Foundation.
Past incidents: Shark theft, code violations
The octopus incident is the latest controversy surrounding the San Antonio Aquarium.
Just weeks after it opened in late 2014, KSAT reported that parents expressed concern about the safety of both the kids and the animals at the aquarium’s touch-and-feel tanks.
In July 2018, surveillance video captured three people stealing a horn shark from an open pool where visitors could reach in and pet various species.
The suspects disguised the shark as a baby and placed it in a stroller, KSAT previously reported. The female shark was returned to the aquarium two days later.
In the days following the theft, the aquarium said it would not shut down touch pools.
Later in 2018, it was temporarily closed by the City of Leon Valley after multiple safety hazards were found following a routine fire inspection, KSAT reported. Violations ranged from unsecured propane tanks to hazardous electrical wiring.
In 2020, the aquarium was shut down by Leon Valley police for violating an emergency declaration due to the coronavirus pandemic. The aquarium allowed patrons inside the building, which was a violation of the ordinance, police told KSAT.
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