A three-year-old boy remained in critical but stable condition Friday after being attacked by at least one crocodile inside an enclosure at a zoo near Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire, England, the BBC reported.
The attack took place Thursday at Johnsons of Old Hurst, a family-run farm and zoo. Zoo staff pulled the boy from the enclosure. He received medical treatment at the scene before being airlifted to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge.
Cambridgeshire Police said a 30-year-old man from Norfolk had been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder following the incident. He was later bailed and described as unfit for interview. Police said the man was not visiting as part of an organised group.
Officers said they were working to establish how long the boy, who was visiting with his family, had been inside the enclosure. The crocodiles were not seized or killed following the incident.
A witness told the BBC she had seen a man, accompanied by two women wearing lanyards she believed may have been carers, walking through the zoo about 10 minutes before the attack. She said she overheard one of the carers ask: "Should we go to the crocodile house next?" The man replied: "Yeah."
Another visitor told the BBC that she "didn't see the incident itself but heard the screams" and saw staff and an air ambulance responding shortly after.
The zoo's Tropical House, which contains the crocodile enclosure, was closed following the incident. Crocodilians have been kept at the site since 2006. Species include broad-snouted caiman, Nile crocodiles, and American alligators, housed in a converted cattle barn with metal-fenced elevated walkways above large pools surrounded by tropical vegetation.
Detective Inspector Verity McCann said: "Our inquiries are ongoing as we continue to understand the circumstances surrounding this distressing incident. Our thoughts remain with the boy, and his family and specialist officers continue to support them through this difficult time."
A new museum at the site had been scheduled to open Saturday as part of a 20th anniversary celebration. It was unclear whether that event would proceed.
