Toddler injured in crocodile attack had five surgeries and is set to go under the knife again amid huge fundraising effort

A three-year-old boy injured during an incident at a crocodile enclosure in Cambridgeshire has been through five operations and will require at least two additional procedures, his parents have revealed.

The child was left seriously injured during the incident on June 18 at Johnsons of Old Hurst zoo and has been receiving treatment at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge since the attack.

A fundraising appeal established to assist with the youngster's medical recovery and provide the family with financial support during his hospital stay has now collected more than £25,000 in donations.

The parents posted an update expressing their gratitude, saying: "We are extremely grateful for everyone's generosity.

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"We could never thank you enough for the support you have given our family in this horrible time."

The parents have been staying at the facility for a fortnight, and described it as "a very uncertain and unsettling time".

They went on to say: "His rehabilitation journey is uncertain but we do know that it won’t be a short process. The money that has been donated so far has been used to pay for our expenses.

"We are both currently away from work and the time in which this will need to be the case is unknown."

They added: "The donations have helped ease the pressure of these expenses so we are extremely grateful to everyone.

"Further donations will be used to support our son’s rehabilitation and to give back to the hospital who have helped us in many ways during this challenging time. Thank you."

The Cambridgeshire Zoo issued a statement on Friday commending those who responded to the emergency. They said: "Everyone who was on site that day acted with incredible speed and determination."

The child was rescued from the enclosure and given first aid within minutes of the initial alert, according to the zoo's social media post.

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Johnsons of Old Hurst thanked visitors who came forward to assist, including off-duty paramedics and police officers. The zoo said their "calm and immediate actions made a real difference."

Tracey Johnson, who co-owns the zoo, reportedly jumped into the enclosure to save the child.

The family said in a police statement they wished to "thank the staff at the zoo who rescued our son from the enclosure".

A man aged 30 from Norfolk was taken into custody on suspicion of attempted murder after the incident and subsequently released on bail, with police saying he was "assessed as not being fit for interview".

The suspect reportedly has learning difficulties and had been visiting the zoo with carers at the time.

Emergency services were summoned to the attraction at 1.24pm on June 18 following reports of serious injuries to a three-year-old.

Cambridgeshire Police confirmed the boy "sustained serious injuries while in the enclosure" and "was pulled out by staff from the zoo".

The fundraising page can be found HERE.

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