A three-year-old boy who suffered serious injuries inside a crocodile enclosure at Johnsons of Old Hurst zoo in Cambridgeshire has been discharged from hospital and is now recovering at home.
The youngster returned home "a few weeks ago" and is "happy to be home, playing with his toys, sleeping in his own bed and being a big brother", his parents revealed in an online update.
Incident and arrest
Johnsons of Old Hurst, near Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire, previously stated on social media that it was "alerted to reports that a child had allegedly been thrown into one of our crocodile enclosures" on June 18.
A 30-year-old man from Norfolk was subsequently arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and later bailed after police confirmed he was "assessed as not being fit for interview". The suspect is reported to have learning difficulties and had been visiting the attraction with carers at the time. An investigation into his care has since been launched.
Family's update and fundraising
In an update published to a GoFundMe page on Monday, the boy's family expressed how it was "nice to have us all back together in the comfort of our own home". The fundraising page was established to provide financial assistance to the family and support the child's recovery and rehabilitation. To date, it has raised in excess of £113,000.
"Now that we are home, our son's rehabilitation journey continues and we can focus on ensuring our son has the best possible chance at recovery," his parents wrote in their GoFundMe update. "Both of us will continue to stay by our son's side as we support him on his rehabilitation journey.
"We attend the hospital frequently to find out the next steps and we work on them together as a family. All of his immediate surgeries are over with for now, which means we can now focus on rehabilitation at home."
Support and donations
The family revealed that the funds raised to date "has supported us financially to cover immediate costs such as our bills and mortgage", and "also allowed us to cover our loss of wages during this time". They disclosed that they had purchased and donated fresh toys to the paediatric intensive care unit at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, as well as to the children's play team on the ward.
The youngster was "very fond of the play team" and "they helped him be a little three-year-old boy by inventing new games and teaching him new ways to use his feet in play", his parents noted. The couple also revealed they had made a contribution to the Sick Children's Trust charity, which provides vital assistance to families whose children are long-stay patients or receiving care in the paediatric intensive care unit.
Furthermore, they expressed a wish to donate to the Addenbrooke's Charitable Trust (ACT) as a gesture of appreciation to the staff involved in their son's treatment, "including the supply of superhero costumes to brighten up his day". They extended their heartfelt gratitude to all those who have "shown such kindness and generosity during what has been a considerable ordeal for us all".
In an earlier update, the family confirmed that the boy had undergone seven operations. The fundraising appeal is available at gofundme.com/f/helping-the-family-of-3yr-old-injured-in-crocodile-enclosure.
