SAN ANTONIO – People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) will hold a protest outside the San Antonio Aquarium after a mother says an octopus clung onto her 6-year-old, leaving purple marks on his arm.
The protest is scheduled for 11 a.m. Sunday, according to a PETA news release, outside the aquarium located at 6320 Bandera Road in Leon Valley.
KSAT will livestream the event in this article. Delays are possible; if there is not a livestream available, check back at a later time.
In the release, PETA President Tracy Reiman said, “It’s only a matter of time before there is another injury.”
“Animals deserve respect and to be left in peace, and forcing stressed wild animals to endure life in a tank and grabbing hands risks their safety and the public’s,” Reiman said. “PETA is calling on the San Antonio Aquarium to stop treating animals as props and is warning everyone to stay away.”
The news release notes the aquarium is owned by the Covino family, who also own the Austin Aquarium.
The Austin Aquarium was recently issued a warning by the U.S. Department of Agriculture following multiple alleged animal attacks on customers, according to KVUE.
In a statement to KSAT, the San Antonio Aquarium said the safety and well-being of guests, staff and animals is its “top priorities,” and the aquarium remains committed to “providing safe, educational, and memorable experiences for all visitors.”
Octopus encounter goes viral
In now viral TikTok videos, Britney Taryn described how a giant Pacific octopus at the aquarium clung onto her 6-year-old son and refused to let go.
Taryn told KSAT it took three employees to get the octopus off her son.
In an animal welfare complaint to the USDA, she said her son “sustained extensive suction bruises” and “the employees on-site downplayed the incident.”
The viral octopus encounter at the San Antonio Aquarium on July14th. (KSAT 2025)
The department informed her that octopuses are not covered under the Animal Welfare Act and are not subject to the act’s regulations.
According to Taryn, visitors are allowed to touch the octopus, which is also listed as an “encounter” on the aquarium’s website.
“Guests are encouraged to hand-feed some of our animals and pet with a gentle two-finger touch on their back,” the website says.
>> Mother responds to San Antonio Aquarium’s statement on viral octopus encounter
The Association of Zoos & Aquariums told KSAT the “San Antonio Aquarium is not an AZA-accredited member and is not a member of our Pathway Toward Membership program.”
The association also said only 10% of USDA licensed facilities meet the AZA’s gold standard for zoos, aquariums and science centers.
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,” Taryn said. “I don’t want anything to happen to the octopus. So we’re just trying to help.”
In a statement, the aquarium said the octopus exhibit has a tall barrier to protect guests and the animal.
In order to reach the octopus, the aquarium said it requires the person to lean fully over the wall and reach about 24 inches down from the top of the tank.
“In this instance, the guest leaned her child over the exhibit barrier, allowing him to reach into the habitat without staff supervision,” the aquarium said in a statement, in part. “At no point was the octopus aggressive or attempting to harm the child.”
Taryn described the aquarium’s statement as “false” and “defamatory.”
Shark theft, previous code violations
Just weeks after it opened in late 2014, KSAT reported that parents expressed concern about the safety of both the children 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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