The parents of the three-year-old boy confirmed he has undergone five surgeries and faces more following the incident at a zoo in Cambridgeshire last month
The boy was rescued from the enclosure by zoo staff (Image: Joe Giddens/PA Wire)
The parents of a three-year-old boy who was injured in a crocodile enclosure at a Cambridgeshire zoo have issued an update on his condition. Their son has so far undergone five surgeries since the incident at Johnsons of Old Hurst last month.
His parents said they have been “living at the hospital” as the boy faces more surgeries and a long rehabilitation process. The nature of his injuries has not been disclosed, but Cambridgeshire Police said at the time that he had “sustained serious injuries while in the enclosure”.
Police were called to the zoo at 1.24pm on June 18 by the ambulance service to reports that a three-year-old boy had suffered serious injuries. Tracey Johnson, the zoo’s co-owner, reportedly jumped into the enclosure to save the child, with police confirming that he “was pulled out by staff from the zoo”.
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A fundraising page set up to support the boy’s recovery and rehabilitation, as well as to provide the family with financial stability while they support him in hospital, has now raised more than £25,000, the PA news agency reports.
An update from the boy’s parents posted on the fundraising page said: “We are extremely grateful for everyone’s generosity. We could never thank you enough for the support you have given our family in this horrible time.”
They added: “We have been living at the hospital for two weeks now and our son has undergone five surgeries.”
They said they know he will have to undergo at least two more surgeries and that the last two weeks have been “a very uncertain and unsettling time”.
The update continued: “His rehabilitation journey is uncertain but we do know that it won’t be a short process. The money that has been donated so far has been used to pay for our expenses.
“We are both currently away from work and the time in which this will need to be the case is unknown.”
They added: “The donations have helped ease the pressure of these expenses so we are extremely grateful to everyone.
“Further donations will be used to support our son’s rehabilitation and to give back to the hospital who have helped us in many ways during this challenging time. Thank you.”
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.
