Overview
- On June 18 a three-year-old boy was allegedly hurled into a crocodile enclosure at Johnsons of Old Hurst, suffered serious injuries, was airlifted to Addenbrooke’s and has undergone multiple surgeries before being reported stable.
- Zoo staff and visitors, including owners Andy and Tracey Johnson, pulled the child from the enclosure, gave first aid at the scene and their actions have been widely praised.
- Cambridgeshire Police arrested a 30-year-old man from Norfolk on suspicion of attempted murder, assessed him as unfit for interview and later released him on bail with enquiries continuing and detectives reviewing CCTV.
- Johnsons’ Tropical House reopened on June 27 after a short closure and Huntingdonshire council says no previous reportable incidents were on file while Cambridge University Hospitals has self-referred a probe into about 40 staff accessing the boy’s records to the Information Commissioner’s Office.
- A public fundraiser for the family has raised significant donations, the parents remain by the child’s bedside seeking privacy, and medical teams warn he faces a lengthy recovery and rehabilitation process.