Three-year-old attacked inside enclosure
A three-year-old boy critically injured in a zoo enclosure suffered an attack by a crocodile, police have confirmed.
Cambridgeshire Police said a 30-year-old man arrested on suspicion of attempted murder following the incident had now been bailed and was “unfit for interview”.
The boy was attacked by at least one crocodile after ending up in the enclosure, the BBC understands.
He remains in a critical but stable condition after being injured at Johnsons of Old Hurst, near Huntingdon, on Thursday.
Police said the boy sustained serious injuries “while in the enclosure” and was pulled out by zoo staff.
He received medical treatment at the scene before being taken to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge.
Officers said they were working to establish how long the boy, from Cambridgeshire, was in the enclosure.
Police said the crocodiles had not been seized or killed.
Investigation into incident continues
Det Insp Verity McCann said: “Our inquiries are ongoing as we continue to understand the circumstances surrounding this distressing incident.
“Our thoughts remain with the boy, and his family and specialist officers continue to support them through this difficult time.”
The man who was arrested was from Norfolk, police said.
People may be considered not fit to be interviewed because of their physical or mental state.
A spokesperson for Johnsons said on Thursday their thoughts and prayers were with the boy and his family.
They added that the site’s Tropical House, which contains the crocodile enclosure, had been closed “out of respect to the family”.
Zoo staff were seen arriving at the site earlier and it opened as normal apart from the Tropical House.
Crocodilians first arrived on the family-run farm in 2006 and species now include broad snouted caiman, Nile crocodiles and American alligator.
They are kept in a converted cattle barn, which has metal-fenced elevated walkways looking down on large pools of water surrounded by tropical vegetation.
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the first farm shop, a new museum at the site was due to open with a special weekend event starting on Saturday. It is unclear if the opening will go ahead.
Witnesses describe aftermath
One visitor, who wished to remain anonymous, told the BBC that she “didn’t see the incident itself but heard the screams” and added that she later saw staff and an air ambulance responding at the scene.
Another visitor, who left about 10 minutes before the incident, said the crocodiles appeared calm and largely motionless during her visit.
The enclosure included “quite high fences” and they said there was “steel mesh fencing” all around the viewing platform.
On Thursday, police said they were speaking to people who were at the zoo at the time of the incident.
“We do not believe the man arrested and the child are known to each other,” a police spokesperson said.
Huntingdon MP Ben Obese-Jecty urged people to “refrain from speculation online” and said police were treating it as a “critical incident”.
A Magpas Air Ambulance spokesperson said a critical care team attended the incident at 13:42 and “treated one patient at the scene before taking them to hospital”.
According to its website, Johnsons of Old Hurst is a farming business that now features a butchers, a farm shop, tea room, steakhouse and zoo.
It says it “houses over 100 fascinating animals” including crocodiles, African lions and a Bengal tiger.
Source: BBC
