A 3-year-old boy was in a critical condition on Thursday night after he was thrown into a crocodile enclosure at a Cambridgeshire zoo.
Police said they had arrested a 30-year-old British man from Norfolk on suspicion of attempted murder after the incident at Johnsons Zoo, near Huntingdon, on Thursday afternoon.
The suspect and the boy, who was taken by air ambulance to Addenbrooke’s hospital with serious injuries, were not believed to have known each other, officers added.
Johnsons Zoo has 10 species of crocodile, which visitors can view from a raised platform above the Tropical House enclosure.
The Telegraph understands that several crocodiles were in the enclosure when the child entered the water.
The zoo owner’s wife was reportedly responsible for saving the child.
An unnamed source told the Sun: “Apparently, the wife of the zoo owner, Tracey Johnson, jumped into the enclosure to save the child.”
Detective Inspector Verity McCann, of Cambridgeshire Constabulary, 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.”
In a statement, Johnsons Zoo said its Tropical House would remain closed until further notice, adding: “Our thoughts and prayers are with the boy and his family following the incident that occurred today.”
Pete Lewis, who was at the zoo site at the time, said staff may have saved the toddler’s life.
He told The Telegraph: “I did see the boy being carried out. It appeared that staff or members of the public had gone into the enclosure to rescue the boy and almost certainly prevented further injury.”
He said someone came into a tea room calling for help as a boy had “fallen into the crocodile water”.
He added: “Next thing we knew, staff were coming from all directions and a truck or a buggy was rushing around, and then a guy carried the poor lad out and put him on a trailer to administer first aid.”
The zoo and farm area were being guarded by police late on Thursday evening. Forensic teams were seen entering and exiting several hours after the incident.
According to its website, Johnsons of Old Hurst is a family farming business run by Andy Johnson and features a butcher, a farm shop, a tea room, a steakhouse and the zoo.
The zoo is home to more than 100 animals, including lions, tigers, sloth bears, capybaras and meerkats.
Its collection of crocodiles includes the saltwater crocodile, the largest in the world, as well as the critically endangered Siamese crocodile, caiman and American alligators.
A blog post on the zoo’s website says the crocodiles were initially kept to dispose of waste meat from the butcher, but became a zoo attraction.
The website states that the zoo is available for birthday parties and school visits. It offers experiences, including allowing children to help zookeepers care for smaller animals, or spending 30 minutes feeding crocodiles for £80 ($184), or half an hour feeding lions for £100.
The crocodiles are kept in a converted cattle barn, which has metal-fenced elevated walkways overlooking large pools of water surrounded by tropical vegetation.
Mike Annicelli, 52, who lives near the zoo, said the crocodiles were about 4.5m below and that fencing along walkways was about 1.2m high. He added: “Because of the way that railing’s set up, it would be hard for a kid to climb over it.”
The zoo featured on an episode of ITV’s Britain’s Tiger Kings with Ross Kemp. Speaking on the show, Johnson, who runs the farm alongside his wife, Tracey, and sons George and Edward, said: “My long-term aim is – whether tomorrow or 20 years’ time – that hopefully by then it’ll be agreed that I can be fed to a crocodile to, you know, put my bit back.”
Zoos are legally required to have firearms on site and staff trained to use them to protect the public from dangerous animals. However, none of the crocodiles involved in Thursday’s incident has been put down.
On Wednesday, the day before the incident, the zoo celebrated World Crocodile Day.
Charlotte Lowe, a district and county councillor for the area, said: “Johnsons has been here for a long time. It started out as a butcher’s and grew – it’s the 20th anniversary of the shop opening on Saturday.
“The safety here is top-notch. All the times I’ve been here, I’ve never felt unsafe. You walk up the stairs into the enclosure, it’s in a massive converted barn. They’ve got glass around the top.
“It’s family-oriented, especially for the kids during the school holidays, when it’s heaving. In summer, all the car parks are full. Sometimes you come to the farm shop to get meat. The Johnson family, they’re lovely – they’re the typical family. They help out wherever they can, they’ve donated sausages to local charities.”
Ben Obese-Jecty, the Conservative MP for Huntingdon, said his thoughts were with the victim and his family during a “hugely traumatic and difficult time”.
He added: “I am aware of the incident at Johnsons of Old Hurst and have been liaising with senior officers who are treating this as a critical incident.
“This is now a live criminal investigation and I would ask people to refrain from speculation online. The police will provide an update with further information in due course.”
A spokesman 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.”
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