A three-year-old boy who was thrown into a crocodile enclosure at a zoo by a man with learning difficulties was attacked by at least one of the animals. The boy was watching the reptiles from an overhead walkway at the zoo in the U.K. on Thursday when he was reportedly thrown roughly 15 feet into the exhibit below by a “mentally disabled” stranger. The zoo owner’s wife, Tracey Johnson, climbed in after the toddler in a desperate bid to rescue him. The boy is in a critical condition in the hospital with injuries including a broken pelvis and arm. Chris Newman, director of the British National Centre for Reptile Welfare, warned that “even an investigatory bite would be catastrophic” for a child landing among the well-fed reptiles. A 30-year-old man, who was visiting during a group outing accompanied by a carer, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder but has since been released on bail after detectives found him “not fit for interview”. The zoo’s tropical house has been shut indefinitely. It houses more than a dozen crocodiles, including Nile crocodiles Romeo and Cuddles, who are between nine feet and 11 feet long. Co-owner Andy Johnson said his thoughts remained with the injured child.
Read it at Daily Mail
