Zoo describes horror when boy attacked by crocodile

The owners of Johnsons of Old Hurst zoo have described a crocodile attack that left a three-year-old boy seriously injured as "one of the most distressing incidents in our history." The incident occurred on June 18 when the boy was attacked by at least one crocodile within an enclosure at the Cambridgeshire zoo.

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We would also like to express our heartfelt thanks to the visitors who stepped forward to help, including off-duty paramedics and police officers, whose calm and immediate actions made a real difference.

Staff at the zoo responded "within minutes of the first radio call," according to the Johnsons, who own the site. The child was rescued shortly after the attack and received first aid. The boy, who is from Cambridgeshire, was visiting the zoo with his family when the incident took place.

Cambridgeshire Police confirmed they were called to the zoo at 13:34 BST. Officers arrested and bailed a 30-year-old man on suspicion of attempted murder. The boy was taken to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, where he remained in a stable condition.

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We are immensely proud of our own staff, who responded without hesitation and did everything they could to help and support the child until emergency services took over.

The Johnsons also expressed gratitude for the assistance provided by visitors, including off-duty paramedics and police officers, whose "calm and immediate actions made a real difference." They added that the zoo had received an "overwhelming" amount of kindness from the local community and people nationwide. The family of the injured boy thanked the zoo staff for rescuing their son and stated their focus remains on his recovery.

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We would like to thank the staff at the zoo who rescued our son from the enclosure... our attention remains focused on his recovery and supporting him through this extremely challenging and prolonged period of time.