The carers of a man with learning difficulties who allegedly threw a boy into a crocodile enclosure were purportedly on their phones at the time. The three-year-old boy has undergone five surgeries since the incident at Johnsons of Old Hurst, in Cambridgeshire, on June 18.

Police arrested a man aged 30 from Norfolk on suspicion of attempted murder after the incident. He was later bailed as police said he was "assessed as not being fit for interview". He reportedly has learning difficulties and had been on a trip with carers.

A woman who was at the zoo at the time told The Sun she saw who she believed to be carers about 10 metres away from a man and they weren't paying much attention to him.

She said: "They were English and chatting among themselves and on their phones."

The mum, in her 20s, said she heard a loud scream and didn't think "in a million years" someone was in the crocodile pen.

She said: "I don’t know if it was definitely him but I saw one bloke of a bigger build. He had two carers with him and they weren’t paying him much attention."

Norfolk County Council is reportedly investigating the carers who are thought to have been responsible for looking after the man during the trip.

A Section 42 inquiry will determine if the man was experiencing abuse or neglect, according to The Telegraph. It is understood the care provided to the man is not from the local authority.

A fundraising page set up to support the boy’s recovery and rehabilitation, as well as to provide the family with financial stability while they support him in hospital, has raised more than £25,000.

An update from the parents, posted on the page, said: "We are extremely grateful for everyone’s generosity. We could never thank you enough for the support you have given our family in this horrible time."

In a statement released through police on Wednesday, the boy’s family said they wished to “thank the staff at the zoo who rescued our son from the enclosure”.

Police were called to the zoo at 1.24pm by the ambulance service to reports that a three-year-old boy had suffered serious injuries.

Cambridgeshire Police said the boy “sustained serious injuries while in the enclosure” and “was pulled out by staff from the zoo”.

Tracey Johnson, the zoo’s co-owner, reportedly jumped into the enclosure to save the child.

In a statement posted on Instagram, Johnsons of Old Hurst expressed “heartfelt thanks to the visitors who stepped forward to help, including off-duty paramedics and police officers”.

They said their “calm and immediate actions made a real difference”.

The attraction added: "We are immensely proud of our own staff, who responded without hesitation and did everything they could to help and support the child until the emergency services took over.

"The kindness we have received from our local community and from people across the country has been overwhelming."