Johnsons of Old Hurst: Family provide health update on 3yo allegedly thrown into zoo’s crocodile enclosure
The heartbroken parents of the toddler said they have been ‘living at the hospital for two weeks’.
More than two weeks on from a terrifying encounter with a crocodile, the family of the three-year-old allegedly thrown into the enclosure has provided an update on their son’s health.
The incident occurred on June 18 at Johnsons of Old Hurst, a zoo located in Huntingdon, about 100 kilometres north of London.
The child was allegedly picked up and “thrown” into an animal enclosure by a man not known to him.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.Cambridgeshire Police attended the zoo in Huntingdon around 1pm to find he was attacked by at least one crocodile, according to the BBC
Zoo staff removed the boy from the crocodile pen and he was given medical treatment at the scene before being rushed to hospital, where he remains.
On July 4, the heartbroken parents said the child had had five surgeries, with more to come.
“We have been living at the hospital for two weeks now and our son has undergone five surgeries,” they said in a statement.
“At this moment in time we know that our son is to undergo at least two more surgeries, one of those surgeries being a nerve reconstruction in his arm.
“These last two weeks have been a very uncertain and unsettling time.
“This uncertainty remains as we still don’t know the extent of his feeling, movement and function in both of his arms, wrists and hands.”
“This will only be identified after casts and bandages are able to be removed and he can begin his rehabilitation journey.”
The statement was shared on a GoFundMe page which was established for the family by the boy’s grandmother, Lucy Lockett.
Since being established five days ago, it has raised more than £58,000 ($A111,600).
The family said they were “extremely grateful for everyone’s generosity”.
“The money that has been donated so far has been used to pay for our expenses,” they said.
“We are both currently away from work, and the time in which this will need to be the case is unknown.
“We have a newborn baby to look after, a mortgage to pay for and other expenses, including our car, food and bills.
“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.”
Police arrested a 30-year-old British man on suspicion of attempted murder soon after the incident.
The man, reported to have learning disabilities, was released on bail after being deemed unfit for interview by the police.
Police said they believed the man was not known to the child and he was visiting the zoo with carers.
Last week zoo owners Andy and Tracey Johnson recounted the horrifying incident for the first time in a social media post.
“A fortnight ago, our family and team at Johnsons of Old Hurst experienced one of the most distressing incidents in our history,” the post read.
“We were alerted to reports that a child had allegedly been thrown into one of our crocodile enclosures in the Tropical House.
“Everyone who was on site that day acted with incredible speed and determination.”
They said that the child was rescued from the enclosure “within minutes” of the first radio call for first aid administration and that emergency services were quick to arrive.
The Johnsons thanked first responders for their “professionalism, compassion and dedication” in “such difficult circumstances”.
“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,” they said.
“We are immensely proud of our own staff who responded without hesitation and did everything they could to help and support the child until the emergency services took over.”
In the statement, the Johnsons said they had been overwhelmed by public support and kindness.
“Every message of support, every kind word and every expression of concern has meant a great deal to our family and our team during an incredibly difficult time,” they said.
“Thank you for standing with us.
“Above all, our thoughts remain with the young boy and his family.
“We continue to hope and pray for his speedy recovery and ask that they are given the privacy, compassion and support they need at this time.”
