A three-year-old boy is in a critical but stable condition in hospital after being thrown into a crocodile enclosure at a zoo in Cambridgeshire, with a 30-year-old man arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
Police were called to Johnsons of Old Hurst, near Huntingdon, just before 1.30pm today. The child was rushed to hospital with serious injuries following the incident, which is understood to have occurred in front of other visitors at the zoo.
Cambridgeshire Police said the arrested man, from Norfolk, is not believed to be known to the child or his family. The force is now speaking to witnesses who were at the zoo at the time in order to piece together the full circumstances of the attack.
Detective Inspector Verity McCann said: “At this stage we are speaking to people who were at the zoo at the time of this distressing incident to understand more about the circumstances. We do not believe the man arrested and the child are known to each other. Officers are supporting the boy’s family at hospital, and our thoughts remain with them.”
Zoo Owner’s Wife Leapt Into Crocodile Enclosure To Save Boy, Three, Thrown In By Stranger
The wife of the owner of a Cambridgeshire zoo allegedly jumped into a crocodile enclosure to rescue a three-year-old boy who had been thrown in by a man with no connection to the child, as police launched a murder investigation and the toddler fought for his life in hospital.
Tracey Johnson, who runs Johnsons of Old Hurst near Huntingdon with her husband Andy, is said to have leapt into the enclosure to help save the boy, who is now in a critical but stable condition at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge. A 30-year-old man from Norfolk has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. Cambridgeshire Police said they do not believe the suspect and the child are known to each other.
Officers scrambled to the zoo just before 1.30pm on Thursday after the toddler was thrown into the enclosure. The East of England Ambulance Service dispatched an ambulance, a rapid response vehicle, an ambulance officer vehicle and the Magpas air ambulance to the scene. The boy was taken to hospital by road.
A heavy police presence remained at the site into Thursday evening, with a uniformed officer at the entrance and a marked police car in the car park. Staff were asked to remain on the premises while investigations continued.
Detective Inspector Verity McCann said: “At this stage, we are speaking to people who were at the zoo at the time of this distressing incident to understand more about the circumstances. We do not believe the man arrested and the child are known to each other. Officers are supporting the boy’s family at hospital, and our thoughts remain with them.”
Neighbours described hearing a large number of sirens followed by the air ambulance arriving overhead. Mike Annicelli, 52, who lives close to the zoo and has visited previously, said the enclosure design made it hard to understand how a young child could have ended up inside. “Everything is elevated, you’re far away from the animals,” he said, describing a raised walkway with 4ft high fencing, with the crocodiles some 15ft below. “Because of the way that railing’s set up, it would be hard for a kid to climb over it, like a small kid.”
Ben Obese-Jecty, the Conservative MP for Huntingdon, said he had been liaising with senior officers at Gold Command, who were treating the incident as critical. “This is now a live criminal investigation, and I would ask people to refrain from speculation online,” he said. “My thoughts are with the young victim and his family during a hugely traumatic and difficult time.” Local councillor Charlotte Lowe said the incident had “shocked an awful lot of people, especially the locals,” adding: “I can’t fathom how it’s happened because they’ve got all the right protection and safety equipment in there.”
Johnsons of Old Hurst is a family-owned zoo and working farm set across hundreds of acres of Cambridgeshire countryside, housing more than 100 animals including African lions, Bengal tigers and its well-known collection of crocodiles and alligators. The zoo has cared for crocodilians for two decades and has featured on ITV’s Britain’s Tiger Kings with Ross Kemp. Andy Johnson, a fourth-generation farmer who became fascinated with crocodilians during a trip to Florida, once gave an interview to The Sun in which he described the animals’ personalities with evident affection — and notably once said he planned to be fed to them when he dies.
In a statement, the zoo said: “Our thoughts and prayers are with the boy and his family following the incident that occurred today. Out of respect to the family, our Tropical House will remain closed until further notice.” The rest of the site remained open.
Huntingdonshire District Council said it was working closely with Cambridgeshire Police and urged the public not to speculate while enquiries were ongoing. The day before the incident, the zoo had marked International Crocodile Day on social media, saying crocodilians were “at the very core of our history, our passion and the journey that has shaped Johnsons Zoological Gardens into what it is today.”
