A routine afternoon at a family-run zoo in Cambridgeshire turned into a major emergency after a three-year-old boy ended up inside a crocodile enclosure, prompting an attempted murder arrest.
Cambridgeshire Police said officers were called to Johnson’s of Old Hurst, in Huntingdonshire, at 1.24pm following “reports of an incident involving a three-year-old boy, during which he ended up in the crocodile enclosure”.
“The boy has been taken to Addenbrooke’s Hospital (in Cambridge) with serious injuries and is critical but stable,” a force spokesperson said.
They added: “Specially-trained officers are at the hospital supporting the boy’s family.
“A 30-year-old man from Norfolk has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.”
The boy has been taken to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge and is critical but stable
Detective Inspector Verity McCann said investigators were urgently piecing together what happened at the attraction.
“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.”
Johnson’s of Old Hurst, according to its website, is a family-run farming business that has expanded to include a butchers, a farm shop, tea room, steakhouse and zoo.
The zoo houses more than 100 animals, with its collection including lions, tigers, sloth bears, capybaras, meerkats and crocodiles.
A blog post on the zoo’s website says the crocodiles were originally kept to help dispose of waste meat from the butchery, later becoming the starting point for the zoo.
The reptiles are kept in a converted cattle barn, where metal-fenced elevated walkways allow visitors to look down into large pools of water framed by tropical vegetation.
In a statement posted on social media, Johnson’s said that “out of respect to the family” Tropical House will remain closed until further notice.
They added: “Our thoughts and prayers are with the boy and his family following the incident that occurred today.”
The ambulance service said an ambulance, a rapid response vehicle, an ambulance officer vehicle and an air ambulance were dispatched to the scene.
A spokesperson for Cambridgeshire County Council said: “Our thoughts are with the victim and their family but as this is a live police investigation, we cannot comment any further.”
