Wowcher has apologised after sending a marketing email that appeared to mock a crocodile attack on a three-year-old boy at a Cambridgeshire zoo. The discount website’s subject line read: “Snap up these deals quicker than a croc can catch a kid!” — an attempt at humour that landed horrifically out of step with a tragedy unfolding just two days earlier.
The email, sent to customers on Saturday, referenced an incident at Johnsons of Old Hurst near Huntingdon, where the toddler ended up in the crocodile enclosure during a family trip on Thursday. Police were called to the zoo at 13.24 BST by the ambulance service. The boy, who was not known to the arrested man, suffered serious injuries “while in the enclosure” and was pulled to safety by zoo staff. He is now in a critical but stable condition at Addenbrooke’s Hospital.
“Wowcher apologised for an email subject line referencing a crocodile attack on a three-year-old boy at a zoo.”
A 30-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder but was subsequently bailed because he was “unfit for interview”.
When screenshots of the Wowcher email spread across social media, outrage erupted. One customer said they had “now unsubscribed” from Wowcher’s emails, while another condemned the message as “disgusting”, adding: “If that’s real someone needs to be fired.” The screenshot was shared on a Facebook group with the caption: “Why do wowcher think its ok to use this as a heading on their emails??”
Wowcher later issued a statement saying it was “extremely sorry” for the “unacceptable” wording. “It should never have been written, it was never approved for use,” the firm said. “The responsibility sits with us and we are urgently reviewing how our processes failed. We recognise the hurt and distress it has caused, particularly for the young child’s family at this unimaginably difficult time.”
The company added that it is “reviewing all scheduled marketing content while we urgently strengthen our creative, approval and sign-off safeguards”. “There is no excuse for this. We apologise unreservedly and will take the necessary steps to make sure this does not happen again.”
The incident has drawn sharp criticism from customers and the public, leaving the firm scrambling to contain the fallout from a line that turned a family’s nightmare into a punchline.