A witness has described the moment a three-year-old boy was allegedly thrown into a crocodile enclosure at a zoo in Cambridgeshire, leaving him critically injured. The incident occurred at Johnsons of Old Hurst, near Huntingdon, on Thursday, when the youngster ended up inside the reptile enclosure. Police arrested a 30-year-old man on suspicion of attempted murder following the horrific event.
The child, from Cambridgeshire, remains in a critical but stable condition in hospital. According to the BBC, the boy was attacked by at least one crocodile after entering the enclosure. Zoo staff pulled him out before he was rushed to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge.
Witness Recounts Conversation Before Incident
A witness told the BBC that she overheard a conversation approximately 10 minutes before the alleged attack. She spotted a man in his late 20s walking through the zoo with two women wearing lanyards, whom she believed may have been his carers. The trio passed her and her daughter as they entered the capybara enclosure while the group headed out onto the forest walk. The witness claimed one of the women asked: 'Should we go to the crocodile house next?' The man allegedly replied: 'Yeah.'
Police Investigation and Arrest
Cambridgeshire Police confirmed that a 30-year-old man from Norfolk was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and has since been bailed. He is currently considered 'unfit for interview.' The suspect is white British, according to police, who clarified this after misinformation spread on social media.
Another visitor, who asked not to be named, told the BBC she 'didn't see the incident itself but heard the screams' before later seeing zoo staff and an air ambulance rushing to the scene. A different visitor, who left the attraction around 10 minutes before the incident, described the crocodiles as calm and largely motionless during her visit. She noted the enclosure was surrounded by 'quite high fences' with 'steel mesh fencing' around the viewing platform.
Zoo Reopens with Partial Closure
The attraction reopened as normal on Friday, except for the Tropical House, which remained closed 'out of respect to the family.' Police have confirmed that the crocodiles involved have not been seized or killed.
Ongoing Investigation
Investigating officer 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.'
Authorities are continuing to piece together exactly what happened in the moments leading up to the alleged attack.
