Family’s major update on boy injured in zoo crocodile enclosure

The child was seriously hurt at the zoo in Cambridgeshire

The family of a boy who suffered serious injuries after allegedly being thrown into a zoo crocodile enclosure have given a major update.

The three-year-old has left hospital and arrived back home “a few weeks ago.” He is said to be “happy to be home, playing with his toys, sleeping in his own bed and being a big brother”, an update shared online has said.

Johnsons of Old Hurst, near Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire, said in a previous social media post 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 later bailed as police said he was “assessed as not being fit for interview”.

The suspect in the case reportedly has learning difficulties and had been on a trip with carers, and an investigation has been launched into his care.

In an update shared on a GoFundMe page on Monday, the boy’s family said it was “nice to have us all back together in the comfort of our own home”.

The fundraising page was set up to support the family financially and help the boy’s recovery and rehabilitation.

It has raised more than £113,000 to date.

“Now that we are home, our son’s rehabilitation journey continues and we can focus on ensuring our son has the best possible chance at recovery,” his parents said in an update posted on GoFundMe.

“Both of us will continue to stay by our son’s side as we support him on his rehabilitation journey.

“We attend the hospital frequently to find out the next steps and we work on them together as a family.

“All of his immediate surgeries are over with for now, which means we can now focus on rehabilitation at home.”

They said that the money donated so far “has supported us financially to cover immediate costs such as our bills and mortgage”, and “also allowed us to cover our loss of wages during this time”.

They said they have bought and donated new toys to the paediatric intensive care unit at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge and to the children’s play team on the ward.

The boy was “very fond of the play team” and “they helped him be a little three-year-old boy by inventing new games and teaching him new ways to use his feet in play”, his parents said.

They said they had also donated to the Sick Children’s Trust charity, which helps support families whose children are long-term patients or in the paediatric intensive care unit.

They said they also want to donate to the Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust (ACT) to thank staff who were involved in their son’s care “including the supply of superhero costumes to brighten up his day”.

They thanked everyone who has “shown such kindness and generosity during what has been a considerable ordeal for us all”.

In a previous update, the family said the boy had undergone seven operations.

The fundraising campaign can be found at gofundme.com/f/helping-the-family-of-3yr-old-injured-in-crocodile-enclosure.