A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a three-year-old boy ended up in a crocodile enclosure at Johnsons of Old Hurst zoo in Cambridgeshire, police said.
Incident Details
Cambridgeshire police received a call at 1:24 PM on Thursday regarding an incident involving a three-year-old boy who entered the crocodile enclosure at the zoo in Huntingdonshire. The child was taken to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge with serious injuries and remains in critical but stable condition.
A 30-year-old man from Norfolk was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. Detective Inspector Verity McCann stated, “We do not believe the man arrested and the child are known to each other. At this stage we are speaking to people who were at the zoo at the time of this distressing incident to understand more about the circumstances.”
Investigation and Witness Accounts
Police are investigating whether the child was attacked by the animals. According to The Times, the child was allegedly thrown into the enclosure. A villager, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Press Association that the zoo owner's wife, Tracey Johnson, jumped into the enclosure to try to save the child.
Ben Obese-Jecty, the MP for Huntingdon, said he had been liaising with senior officers treating the incident as critical. “This is now a live criminal investigation and I would ask people to refrain from speculation online. The police will provide an update with further information in due course. My thoughts are with the young victim and his family during a hugely traumatic and difficult time.”
Pete Lewis, a visitor at the zoo, told The Telegraph: “I did see the boy being carried out. It appeared that staff or members of the public had gone into the enclosure to rescue the boy and almost certainly prevented further injury.” Lewis added that someone in a tea room called for help, saying a boy had “fallen into the crocodile water.” Staff rushed to the scene, and a man carried the child to a trailer for first aid.
A local person told The Sun: “Apparently the boy has a broken pelvis and a broken arm, but thankfully the crocodile didn’t actually get to him.”
Zoo and Official Responses
In a social media statement, Johnsons zoo said: “Our thoughts and prayers are with the boy and his family following the incident that occurred today. Out of respect to the family, our tropical house will remain closed until further notice. If you have any questions about the incident, please direct inquiries to Cambridgeshire police constabulary. The rest of the site will remain open as normal.”
According to its website, the zoo houses over 100 animals, including African lions, Bengal tigers, and crocodiles. The zoo's Facebook page notes that its two largest crocodiles are named Romeo and Cuddles.
A spokesperson for the East of England Ambulance Service confirmed that an ambulance, a rapid response vehicle, an ambulance officer vehicle, and a Magpas air ambulance attended the scene, and a child was transported by road to hospital.
Cambridgeshire County Council said: “Our thoughts are with the victim and their family, but, as this is a live police investigation, we cannot comment any further.”
Charlotte Lowe, a Huntingdonshire district councillor, expressed disbelief, saying she “can’t fathom” how the boy ended up in the enclosure, given the safety measures in place.
