dolphin pair
Dolphins mimic each others' squeaks and whistles, possibly suggesting a sophisticated kind of communication. Reuters

During a family outing at SeaWorld, the parents of an 8-year-old thought it would be safe to feed the dolphins until one of them actually bit their daughter.

Jamie and Amy Thomas were visiting SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida with their daughter, Jillian and their son on Nov. 21.They carefully watched as dolphins jumped up to grab the food out of the children’s hands, which seems like a disaster in the making.

The young girl made a major mistake while she was feeding the dolphins, in the excitement of the moment she accidentally lifted up the fish, which prompted the dolphin to leap further out of the water for the food and subsequently chomp down on Jillian’s arm in an attempt to get the food.

The incident was all caught on camera by the father: Jillian is shown lifting the food and viewers can see her almost get pulled into the Dolphin Cove.

The Thomas’ are just upset about Jillian getting bit, they weren’t please with the way the situation was handled.

The parents told KTLA-TV Channel 5 that a manager was never sent over and "'we had to ask for a Band-Aid," said Jillian's mom, Amy Thomas.

But according to a statement issued by the Florida theme park "A member of our health services team ... quickly responded and treated the young girl.”

The video has since been removed from YouTube after the accident became a national story even though the parents explained they uploaded the video in the first place to “warn other parents” about the dangers of feeding dolphins.

Unlike other children who have recently been involved in zoo accidents, she was unharmed except for a few teeth marks on her arm.

“I am such an overprotective parent that if I knew my child might get bitten, I would not have even let my daughter do this. But I felt safe. Everyone just imagines dolphins as smiling, non-biting animals with knobby teeth. You forget these are wild animals,” The Stir quoted Amy Thomas.

Unfortunately, zoos are not Disney movies and just because magic and excitement might be marketed at SeaWorld doesn’t necessarily mean it’s safe.

The children, after all, were feeding wild animals.

But news sites reported the family doesn’t want to press charges, but instead is urging that SeaWorld raises the age that children are allowed to feed the porpoises in Dolphin Cove.

Check out the video of the incident posted by CBS News: