Three-year-old injured in UK crocodile enclosure faces ‘long rehabilitation’ | UK news

A 3-year-old boy who was allegedly thrown into a crocodile pen and was seriously injured has undergone five surgeries and faces a long “rehabilitation journey”.

His family, who provided the update, also thanked donors who raised more than £25,000. His family said they had been “living in hospital” since the incident at Johnsons of Old Hurst farm and zoo in Cambridgeshire on June 18.

An update from parents posted on the fundraising page to support the child’s recovery and rehabilitation, as well as provide the family with financial stability while supporting him in hospital, stated: “We are extremely grateful for everyone’s generosity.

“We can never thank you enough for the support you have given our family during this terrible time.”

They added: “We’ve been in hospital for two weeks and our son has had five surgeries.”

They said they knew he would need at least two more surgeries and that the last two weeks had been “a very uncertain and unsettling time.”

The update continued: “The rehabilitation journey is uncertain, but we know it will not be a short process. The money donated so far has been used to cover our expenses.”

“We are both away from work at the moment and it is unknown when this will happen.”

They added: “Donations have helped ease the pressure of these costs so we are extremely grateful to everyone. Any further donations will be used to support our son’s rehabilitation and give back to the hospital who have helped us in so many ways during this challenging time. Thank you.”

A 30-year-old man from Norfolk was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after the incident and was later released on bail after police said he was “assessed unfit to appear”. The suspect in the case reportedly had a learning disability and was on trips with caregivers.

Cambridgeshire police said the boy “suffered serious injuries” after being “injured by a crocodile” after entering the enclosure.

In a statement made through the police on Wednesday, the boy’s family said they “wanted to thank the zoo staff for rescuing our son from the closed area.” Tracey Johnson, co-owner of the zoo, reportedly jumped into the enclosure to save the child.

On Friday, the zoo’s owners praised the “incredible speed and determination” of those helping it. The Johnsons, of Old Hurst, said in a social media post that on June 18 they were “alerted to the alleged dumping of a child in one of our crocodile enclosures.”

The post on Instagram said, “Everyone on the field that day acted with incredible speed and determination.”

“A few minutes after the initial radio call, the child was rescued from the confined space and was receiving first aid.

“Emergency services arrived very quickly with the support of Magpas [Mid Anglia General Practitioner Accident Service] As Air Ambulance, we cannot thank them enough for the professionalism, compassion and dedication they showed in these difficult conditions.”

The Johnsons, of Old Hurst, expressed their “heartfelt thanks to the visitors who came forward to help, including off-duty paramedics and police officers”.

They said their “calm and immediate actions made a real difference.”

The event added: “We are extremely proud of our staff who intervened without hesitation and did all they could to help and support the child until emergency services became involved.”