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An 8-year-old Georgia girl says it “really, really hurt” when a dolphin snatched her hand in its mouth while she fed the animal as part of an attraction at SeaWorld in Orlando, Fla.

Jillian Thomas of Alpharetta said she raised the paper carton she was holding, and “when the dolphin saw that, it leaped at me and bit me, ate the carton.”

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“It really, really hurt,” Jillian said in an interview Monday with ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

Jillian suffered three puncture wounds to her hand. Her father Jamie Thomas, who was with her at the theme park when the dolphin lunged from its pool Nov. 21, described his reaction as: “Instant fear.”

After his initial thought that he might have to dive into the tank to rescue his daughter, a SeaWorld employee offered to help.

“They asked if she wanted first aid, and I said ’she’s bleeding’ so yes, we want first aid,” he recalled.

Jillian held two dolphin stuffed animals as she recounted the ordeal, saying she hoped the dolphin didn’t get sick from eating the paper carton. She’s prayed for the animal at night, she said.