Tearful witnesses have described seeing a three-year-old boy being tossed into a crocodile pit at a British zoo before the owner’s wife leapt in to rescue him.
Tracey Johnson apparently pulled the child to safety. He remains in a critical condition after suffering a broken arm and pelvis in the incident in Cambridgeshire yesterday.
A 30-year-old man from Norfolk, believed to be a stranger to the victim , has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and is in custody.
The attacker was a 'mentally disabled' man who was there with a carer, according to some reports.
The boy had been looking at the reptiles when he was thrown around 15ft from an elevated viewing platform into the Johnsons of Old Hurst tropical house near Huntingdon.
The enclosure contains at least 15 crocodiles and alligators, including two of the largest — Nile crocodiles called Romeo and Cuddles. Both are believed to measure between 9ft and 11ft, with Romeo, the male, weighing up to 485lbs.
It is not yet known whether the boy sustained all his injuries from the fall or if he was also attacked by one of the animals.
Mrs Johnson runs the zoo with her husband Andy, who last night said their ‘thoughts and prayers are with the boy and his family’.
‘Out of respect, our tropical house will remain closed until further notice. The rest of the site will remain open,’ he said in a statement.
Pictured: Owners Andy Johnson and wife Tracey transporting a 400lb crocodile in 2009. Tracey is believed to have pulled the boy to safety
The boy had been looking at the reptiles when he was thrown around 15ft from this elevated viewing platform into the Johnsons of Old Hurst tropical house near Huntingdon
A three-year-old boy was thrown into a crocodile enclosure by a stranger at a zoo in Cambridgeshire yesterday (Pictured: An alligator named Albert in the enclosure)
Andy Johnson feeds one of the reptiles inside the enclosure
The couple are highly experienced animal handlers and have previously been pictured transporting 400lb crocodiles by hand with zoo staff.
The incident unfolded in front of horrified visitors inside the tropical reptile house at Johnsons of Old Hurst, near Huntingdon.
The zoo is run by fourth-generation farmer Mr Johnson, his wife and their sons, George and Edward.
A blog post on the zoo’s website says the crocodiles were initially kept to help dispose of waste meat from the butchery, but they went on to be the start of a zoo.
The zoo is now home to more than 100 animals, including lions, tigers, sloth bears, capybaras, and meerkats.
In an interview with The Sun in 2019, Andy Johnson spoke of various crocodiles, including Cuddles and her brother Romeo.
He said: 'Cuddles isn't that cuddly. She took my fingers a few weeks ago.'
He added of Romeo: 'He loves the back of his leg being tickled - all the skin around their belly and legs is soft.
'He can't reach that bit. It keeps him calm.'
Police refused to be drawn on how the child ended up in the enclosure. They are understood to be investigating whether he was attacked by the animals before being pulled out.
A neighbour of the zoo, who asked not to be named, described hearing a 'lot of sirens' then an air ambulance arriving.
Father-of-two Mike Annicelli, 52, who also lives close to the zoo, described the crocodile enclosure, saying: 'Everything is elevated, you're far away from the animals.
'There are some areas which have plastic glass so people can look through – but there is also 4ft fencing around the walkway so it is impossible for people to fall in accidentally.
'Because of the way that railing's set up it would be hard for a kid to climb over it, like a small kid.'
The incident has chilling echoes of an incident at the Tate Modern in London in 2019 when a six-year-old French tourist was hurled from an outdoor viewing platform.
He somehow survived the 100ft fall but suffered life-changing injuries.
Disturbed teenager Jonty Bravery was jailed for life with a minimum term of 15 years in 2020 for attempted murder.
He is being held at Broadmoor, a high-security psychiatric hospital in Berkshire.
The zoo is run by fourth-generation farmer Mr Johnson, his wife and their sons, George and Edward (pictured together)
An aerial view of the zoo in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, as police descended following the incident yesterday
One villager said they saw staff at the zoo hugging each other and some were in tears after the incident.
Local councillor Charlotte Lowe, 52, said: 'I can't fathom how this happened. There is all sorts of protection at the zoo including perspex screens.
'The only place where people can get over into the enclosure is the walkways which have fencing around them at chest height.
'I don't see how a child could have gone in accidentally.'
Two police cars were parked outside the zoo entrance last night as a uniformed officer stood guard at the main gate just a few yards from the farmhouse home of Mr and Mrs Johnson.
Mr Johnson, 56, became fascinated with crocodilians…
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