Over £100,000 has been raised for the family of a three-year-old boy who sustained serious injuries inside a zoo's crocodile enclosure. The fundraising page set up for the family has now surpassed £100,000, including a top donation of £2,500 from an anonymous contributor. In total, more than £105,000 has been donated to the campaign to date.
Incident at Johnsons of Old Hurst
Johnsons of Old Hurst, near Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire, stated in a social media post 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 arrested on suspicion of attempted murder following the incident and was subsequently bailed after police confirmed he was "assessed as not being fit for interview". The suspect reportedly has learning difficulties and had been visiting on a trip with carers, prompting an investigation into his care arrangements.
Family update on boy's condition
The boy's family provided an update on the fundraising page, revealing he had undergone seven operations and that they are "amazed at how far he has come" and that he is "smiling again". The family added that they are "not at the end of our journey" but remain "hopeful" that the most recent operation "will be the last for now which means if everything goes well we will be able to go home soon".
In a post on the GoFundMe page last week, the parents said: "Our son had his seventh surgery. In that surgery, the surgeons completed a nerve graft on his left arm. They harvested a nerve from his leg to replace part of the nerve that was missing in his left arm. Over time, this nerve will hopefully embed and help our son to regain some function in his left hand. We won’t know whether the nerve graft has been successful until tests can be carried out in a few months time."
Parents reflect on the ordeal
The parents added that the boy had been in hospital for more than a month. They explained that when he first arrived on June 18, he underwent a 12-hour surgery where surgeons "performed miraculous things". They added: "They were faced with tendon damage, nerve damage, blood vessel damage, broken bones and severe tissue damage in both his arms, neck, head and face. Those were the worst 12 hours of our lives as before that we were signing consent forms involving resuscitation and amputation."
In a devastating reflection, the update said: "We were unsure if our son was going to make it and that was the worst feeling in the world. 4 weeks later and the cheeky little boy that we love so much is talking to the nurses, playing using his feet and smiling again. We are amazed at how far he has come. We are not at the end of our journey but are hopeful that the surgery will be the last for now which means if everything goes well we will be able to go home soon."
Once home, the parents said they face "new challenges", helping their son to recover "physically and psychologically". They added: "Both of us are taking time off work temporarily to support our son during his rehabilitation. We don’t know what recovery and rehabilitation looks like at this moment in time but we know our son needs us more than ever. Thank you again for all your well wishes and support during this difficult time. We are forever grateful that you have all helped us to stay by our son’s side every step of the way."
