Boy thrown into crocodile pit has had seven operations
THE three-year-old boy who was allegedly thrown into a crocodile pit has had seven operations, his family has said.
The child was seriously injured after reportedly being attacked by at least one crocodile in the enclosure at Johnsons of Old Hurst Zoo, near Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire, on June 18.
A 30-year-old disabled man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and released on police bail after being assessed as unfit for interview.
The toddler was taken to the hospital after the fall and has been there with his family for four weeks.
A GoFundMe crowdfunding page set up by his grandmother said he had undergone seven operations to date, with the most recent being a nerve graft to try to regain some function in his left hand.
She said during the most recent operation, at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, doctors had replaced part of a damaged nerve in the boy’s arm with one from his leg.
His parents shared a message on the site, saying: “Today, our son had his seventh surgery. In that surgery, the surgeons completed a nerve graft on his left arm. They harvested a nerve from his leg to replace part of the nerve that was missing in his left arm.
“Over time, this nerve will hopefully embed and help our son to regain some function in his left hand. We won’t know whether the nerve graft has been successful until tests can be carried out in a few months.”
The latest update revealed that the boy had undergone a 12-hour operation upon his arrival at the hospital as surgeons performed “miraculous” procedures.
His parents continued: “They were faced with tendon damage, nerve damage, blood vessel damage, broken bones and severe tissue damage in both his arms, neck, head and face.
“Those were the worst 12 hours of our lives as before that we were signing consent forms involving resuscitation and amputation. We were unsure if our son was going to make it, and that was the worst feeling in the world.
“Four weeks later, and the cheeky little boy that we love so much is talking to the nurses, playing using his feet and smiling again. We are amazed at how far he has come.”
They added that while they were “not at the end of our journey”, they were hopeful that the most recent operation “will be the last for now, which means if everything goes well we will be able to go home”.
They signed off the post by thanking people for their well-wishes and support, saying they were “forever grateful”.
At least 15 crocodiles were in the enclosure when the child entered the water. Tracey Johnson, the zoo owner’s wife, jumped in to rescue him.
The child, who was visiting the zoo with his mother and younger sibling, suffered a broken arm and pelvis.
The zoo’s collection includes saltwater, Nile and Siamese crocodiles, as well as alligators and caimans.
Norfolk county council has opened a safeguarding inquiry into the care provided to the man arrested in connection with the incident.
A source claimed that, as zookeepers were jumping in to save the boy, the carers and the suspect went to the car park, where they tried to get into a vehicle, but were stopped.
