A three-year-old boy who was allegedly thrown into a crocodile enclosure at a Cambridgeshire zoo has undergone five operations and faces at least two more, including nerve reconstruction in his arm, his family have revealed.
The toddler plunged 15ft before being mauled by a crocodile at Johnsons of Old Hurst zoo in Huntingdon on June 18. He was rescued by zoo staff – joint-owner Tracey Johnson reportedly leapt into the enclosure – and rushed to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge in a critical condition. He is now stable but faces a lengthy road to recovery.
“Three-year-old boy attacked at Cambridgeshire zoo undergoes five surgeries; family says at least two more needed.”
In a statement published alongside a GoFundMe fundraiser, his heartbroken family said they have been “living at the hospital” for the past two weeks. “Our son has undergone 5 surgeries,” the statement read. “At this moment in time we know that our son is to undergo at least two more surgeries, one of those surgeries being a nerve reconstruction in his arm.”
The family described the past two weeks as “a very uncertain and unsettling time”, adding: “This uncertainty remains as we still don't know the extent of his feeling, movement and function in both of his arms, wrists and hands. This will only be identified after casts and bandages are able to be removed and he can begin his rehabilitation journey. His rehabilitation journey is uncertain but we do know that it won't be a short process.”
Police have arrested a 30-year-old man from Norfolk on suspicion of attempted murder. He was subsequently bailed after being assessed as “not fit for interview”. The man is believed to have learning difficulties and had been visiting the zoo with carers.
The boy, who has not been named, landed on a concrete walkway, sustaining a broken arm and pelvis, before falling into the water. It is believed he was subsequently attacked by either a saltwater or Nile crocodile in an incident the zoo's owners described as “one of the most distressing” in their history.
Cambridgeshire Police confirmed the boy “was pulled out by staff from the zoo”. The family expressed gratitude in their statement: “We are extremely grateful for everyone's generosity. We could never thank you enough for the support you have given our family in this horrible time.”