Police have released a man who was arrested after a three-year-old boy was seriously injured when he entered a crocodile enclosure at a zoo in Cambridgeshire, UK.

The incident happened on Thursday afternoon at Johnsons Zoo near Huntingdon. Emergency services rushed to the scene, and the child was airlifted to Addenbrooke’s Hospital with critical injuries.

Man released on bail

Initially, officers arrested a 30-year-old man from Norfolk on suspicion of attempted murder. However, authorities later released him while investigations into the circumstances surrounding the incident continue, per the BBC.

Detective Inspector Verity McCann said: "Our enquiries are ongoing as we continue to understand the circumstances surrounding this distressing incident."

The three-year-old was dropped into the crocodile enclosure. Credit: Jeremy Edwards / Getty

She added: "Our thoughts remain with the boy, and his family and specialist officers continue to support them through this difficult time."

Police have stated that they do not believe the arrested man and the child knew each other.

Investigators are still working to determine exactly how the boy ended up inside the enclosure at the zoo's Tropical House, where visitors can observe multiple crocodile species from an elevated viewing platform.

According to reports, several crocodiles were present in the water at the time of the incident. It is understood that Tracey Johnson, the zoo owner's wife, may have entered the enclosure to help rescue the child.

Authorities have not confirmed whether the boy's injuries resulted from contact with the crocodiles or from the fall into the enclosure itself.

Det Insp McCann said: "At this stage, we are speaking to people who were at the zoo at the time of this distressing incident to understand more about the circumstances."

She added: "We do not believe the man arrested and the child are known to each other. Officers are supporting the boy’s family at hospital, and our thoughts remain with them."

Following the incident, Johnsons Zoo announced that its Tropical House attraction would remain closed.

In a statement, the zoo said: "Our thoughts and prayers are with the boy and his family following the incident that occurred today."

Witnesses described horrifying incident

Witness Pete Lewis praised the quick response of staff and bystanders, suggesting their actions may have prevented even more serious injuries.

"I did see the boy being carried out," Lewis told The Telegraph. "It appeared that staff or members of the public had gone into the enclosure to rescue the boy and almost certainly prevented further injury."

He recalled hearing urgent calls for assistance after someone entered a nearby tea room reporting that a child had "fallen into the crocodile water."

"Next thing we knew, staff were coming from all directions and a truck or a buggy was rushing around," Lewis said. "Then a guy carried the poor lad out and put him on a trailer to administer first aid."

Police investigations into the incident remain ongoing.

Featured Image. Credit: Jeremy Edwards / Getty

A 12-year-old girl is missing following a suspected crocodile attack while she was swimming in a creek in Australia.

“Northern Territory Police are currently searching for a missing child near the remote community of Palumpa,” Northern Territory Police, Fire and Emergency Services wrote on Facebook on Wednesday, July 3.

“Around 5:30PM last night, police received reports of a missing 12-year-old child who was last seen swimming at Mango Creek,” the statement continued.

“Initial reports stated the child had been attacked by a crocodile. Community members and Peppimenarti Police attended the scene and began searching for the child, who has yet to be located.”

Palumpa, situated approximately 220 miles southwest of Darwin, has an estimated population of 400 residents.

Due to its remote location, officers from the nearby town of Wadeye are assisting in the search alongside a specialist rescue team, reported ABC News.

“Local officers are on scene and our thoughts are with the family and the community,” Senior Sergeant Erica Gibson said in a statement to NBC News.

“Officers are currently searching a large section of the creek via boat, and we thank the community for their ongoing assistance.”

Northern Territory Police Minister Brent Potter informed reporters on Wednesday afternoon that the operation had entered the "recovery phase," as reported by the BBC.

"It's a tragic incident for any parent or family member to lose a young child, and especially in the circumstances like that, taken by a crocodile," he said.

The Northern Territory is home to more than 100,000 saltwater crocodiles, which have been protected from mass culls and hunting since 1971.

These crocodiles, the largest species in the world, can grow up to 20 feet in length, though fatal attacks on humans are relatively uncommon.

In a separate incident last month, a saltwater crocodile that had reportedly lunged at humans and snatched pets in another part of the territory was captured, killed, and made into a feast for local residents, per NBC News.

Given the threat to human safety, Northern Territory officials have increased the number of crocodiles allowed to be removed annually from 300 to 1,200, as outlined in a 10-year management plan released this year.

Featured image credit: DEA / G.SIOEN / Getty

A woman whose then-five-year-old son was thrown off a balcony by a stranger at the Mall of America in 2019 has spoken out about the incident.

The horrific ordeal took place in April 2019 and saw a man pick up five-year-old Landen and throw him over a third-floor balcony outside the Rainforest Cafe at the Bloomington, Minn. mall.

The boy's mother, Kari Hoffman, witnessed the shocking act, as well as strangers nearby. He sadly suffered severe head trauma and broke a number of bones in his arms and legs.

Now, in a new interview on Good Morning America, Kari recalls:  "We were just looking at the alligator at the Rainforest Café, and a stranger came up and was whispering to these two little boys. And I thought that he was gonna turn this alligator on for them. He snatched [Landen] and ran. And I was just frozen … It happened so fast. I screamed, 'No!' after he was already thrown."

She added: "I don’t even remember running down the escalators, but I was screaming the whole time, ‘No, Landen’s not gonna die.'"

As a crowd began to emerge at the scene, Hoffmann asked onlookers to pray for her little boy.

"I don’t care who was looking. If they were looking, I asked them to pray," she said. "He’s got a heartbeat. He was breathing. We got in the ambulance, and right before they shut the door, he opened his eyes for a second."

The youngster was rushed to the hospital and received treatment for brain trauma. "Listening to him breathing with the machine's beeping was the best sound I've ever heard in my life," Hoffmann went on. "Because that meant he was alive."

Landen added: "Some people don't believe it, but I don't care if they do or not. I just care that lots of people care about me, and I care about them too."

Following months of recovery, Landen, now eight, was able to return to school for his first day of kindergarten. Hoffman says her faith allowed her to forgive the man who harmed her son.

She said: "I don't think forgiveness is a feeling, it's a decision you have to make. It's a decision that you have to make so that God can do what he needs to do in your life ... and that was to save Landen."

According to police, the man responsible, 24-year-old Emmanuel Deshawn Aranda, went to the Mall of America "looking for someone to kill" because he'd been rejected by women at the establishment, per a criminal complaint obtained by People.

Aranda was ultimately sentenced to 19 years in prison after pleading guilty to attempted murder.

Last year, the Hoffmans filed a lawsuit against the Mall of America for allowing Ananda onto the property.

Featured image credit: David R. Frazier Photolibrary, Inc. / Alamy

Warning: This article contains information that some readers will find upsetting and distressing.

A disturbing incident has unfolded after a nine-year-old boy killed 11 animals during a solo trip to a petting zoo.

As reported by the Metro, the unnamed child was said to have shown "no emotion" after strangling nine rabbits and two guinea pigs to death during a visit to the Rekerhout Petting Zoo in Alkmaar in the Netherlands.

The boy had been visiting the petting zoo by himself on March 11, before he made his way over to the animals.

The manager of the establishment, Ali Dorenbos, was left disgusted by the awful scene that unfolded, telling local media: "It makes you completely sick."

Images of the attraction online show that the petting zoo homes a variety of small and family-friendly animals, such as goats, ducks, pigs, and rabbits.

Speaking to the local news outlet De Telegraaf, Dorenbos claimed that the boy showed "no emotion" after allegedly killing the animals.

She added that the petting zoo was intended to be a place for joy for visitors, before voicing her admiration for her role. "I was supposed to do this job for five years, but I never left and have now been doing it for 42 years," Dorenbos said. "Can you imagine how nice it is here? We do a lot of education and teach children how to interact with animals."

Local psychiatrist Esther van Fenema added that while she feels "sorry for the animals", she is also concerned about the child, who she said, "apparently feels so bad that he has to do this".

She also informed parents: "If you kill an animal in the house; explain to the child why. Even if it is an insect. So that it learns that you don’t wring the neck of a guinea pig, which is harmful."

Fenema added that causing harm to animals can be a "worrisome sign of a behavioral disorder in children", and called for this particular incident to be "thoroughly investigated".

"There is often an interplay of risk factors. Such as predisposition, temperament, upbringing and all kinds of things can be going on in the home situation," the psychiatrist said. "Something bad may have happened that left a child incredibly frustrated and unable to express their emotions properly.

"Someone close to him may have died. Or he could be feeling bad because of conflicts at home."

Despite the situation sparking fury on social media, local police have confirmed that the boy will not face criminal charges due to the fact that he is under 12 years old.

However, he is due to be enrolled in a care program that can provide him with the support he needs.

Featured image credit: robert reader / Getty (Stock photo)