Horror in the English county of Cambridgeshire, where a 3-year-old boy was forced into the crocodile enclosure of a private zoo by a 30-year-old and suffered serious injuries after apparently being bitten.
The man was arrested by the British police and is accused of attempted murder. The episode seems to have had the contours of a deliberate gesture, perhaps the fit of a deranged person given that investigators are currently ruling out any acquaintanceship between the 30-year-old and the child.
The little boy is hospitalized in critical but stable condition
The victim, after being rescued and removed from the jaws of the large reptiles, was rushed by helicopter to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, where he is now hospitalized and where doctors define his condition as “critical but stable”.
Tragedy at Old Hurst Private Zoo
The incident occurred around lunchtime, among terrified family members, visitors and staff in the grounds of Johnsons Zoo in Old Hurst, in a countryside area not far from the town of Huntington: a family-run facility which – according to its website – is home to around 100 species of “fascinating exotic animals”, including African lions, Bengal tigers and crocodiles. The Jonhson family – who manage a so-called “Tropical” within the zoo House”, along with a steak house and other recreational services – announced the closure of only the Tropical House until further notice. According to the media, his passion for reptiles developed during a trip to Florida, in contact with alligators.
The investigations: the suspect arrested, investigations underway
For now, Cambridgeshire Police have limited themselves to reporting that the suspect is originally from Norfolk, on the east coast of central England, keeping his identity confidential. He also explained, through the mouth of chief inspector Verity McCann, that investigations are underway to establish with certainty whether the child was bitten by crocodiles: a circumstance already confirmed by sources cited in the evening by the broadcaster ITV.
Experts: «Predators programmed to attack»
These are “predators programmed to attack”, commented Chris Newman, zoologist and director of the National Center for Reptile Welfare in the United Kingdom. “Reactive animals, whose natural response is to bite anyone who is thrown into their enclosure,” he added, speaking of the incident as “an unimaginable nightmare” and something “shocking to the point of unbelievable.”
The appeal against online speculation
Ben Obese-Jecty, a conservative MP elected in the area’s constituency, for his part expressed solidarity with the child’s parents and all the people involved, underlining the anguish of the local community and warning against any conjecture or exploitation online: after the incitements via the web which in the country for example in the recent past have caused unrest and indiscriminate violence against migrants in response to criminal acts attributed to foreigners.