Man arrested after boy, 3, ends up in British zoo’s crocodile enclosure

LONDON – A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a 3-year-old boy ended up in a crocodile enclosure at a zoo in central England on June 18 resulting in him sustaining critical injuries, the police said.

Cambridgeshire Police said officers were called following reports of an incident at Johnsons of Old Hurst, a zoo near Huntingdon which resulted in the boy being in the enclosure.

The child has been taken to hospital with serious injuries and is in a critical but stable condition, police said. A 30-year-old man had been arrested.

“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,” said Detective Inspector Verity McCann. “We do not believe the man arrested and the child are known to each other.”

Johnsons of Old Hurst could not immediately be reached for comment. On its website it said the family-owned farm’s interest in conservation had led to a fascination with crocodiles.

“We are hoping to continue to develop our crocodile farm here at Johnsons of Old Hurst to be a part of this remarkable conservational effort,” the website said. REUTERS