A promotional email sent by discount website Wowcher on Saturday urged customers to “Snap up these deals quicker than a croc can catch a kid!” – a subject line that appeared to reference a crocodile attack on a three-year-old boy at a zoo two days earlier. Screenshots of the email were widely shared on social media, prompting immediate outrage. One customer said they had “now unsubscribed”, while another condemned the message as “disgusting”, adding: “If that’s real someone needs to be fired.”
The toddler had been attacked by at least one crocodile after ending up in an enclosure containing Nile and saltwater crocodiles during a family trip to Johnsons of Old Hurst near Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, on Thursday lunchtime. Police were called to the zoo at 13.24 BST by the ambulance service. The boy was taken to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge with serious injuries and remains in a critical but stable condition. A 30-year-old man from Norfolk was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder; he was not known to the child. Police said he was “unfit for interview” and he has been bailed until 18 September while further inquiries take place.
“Wowcher apologises for email subject line 'Snap up these deals quicker than a croc can catch a kid' after crocodile attack on boy, 3.”
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 responsibility sits with us and we are urgently reviewing how our processes failed,” a spokesperson said. “We recognise the hurt and distress it has caused, particularly for the young child’s family at this unimaginably difficult time.” The firm added that it was reviewing all scheduled marketing content and strengthening its “creative, approval and sign-off safeguards”, insisting: “There is no excuse for this.”