A three-year-old boy is in critical condition after a man, thought to be a stranger, threw him into the crocodile enclosure at an English zoo.
Cambridgeshire Constabulary said they arrested a 30-year-old man on Thursday afternoon after a child was thrown into the crocodile enclosure at Johnsons Zoological Gardens in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, England. The victim was rushed to hospital and was described as having serious injuries, and being in “critical but stable” condition.
The man, who was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, and the child are not understood to have been known to each other. Police said their major crimes team is investigating the apparent attack and a spokesman 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.”
As is typical with such incidents in the United Kingdom, the public have been warned off speculating about the circumstances around the alleged attack. Local Member of Parliament for Huntingdon MP Ben Obese-Jecty issued the instruction ina social media post and said “This is now a live criminal investigation and I would ask people to refrain from speculation online”.
The Website for Johnsons Zoo states it is home to “over 1,000 fascinating animals” including african lions, bengal tigers, crocodiles, sloths, and capybara. British newspaper The Sun states the zoo was originally established on a family farm to satisfy the owner’s interest in alligators.
This story is developing, more follows