Wowcher sorry for 'unacceptable' crocodile attack email

Dorota “Dee” Trajdos/Reuters

Discount website Wowcher has apologised after a marketing email appeared to reference a crocodile attack on a toddler at a zoo.

A three-year-old boy is understood to have been attacked by at least one crocodile after ending up in their enclosure during a family trip to Johnsons of Old Hurst near Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, on Thursday.

An email sent to Wowcher customers on Saturday featured a list of getaways and activities under the subject line: “Snap up these deals quicker than a croc can catch a kid!”

Screenshots were shared across social media prompting outrage, with Wowcher later saying in a statement that it was extremely sorry for the “unacceptable” wording.

The firm added: “It should never have been written, it was never approved for use. The responsibility sits with us and we are urgently reviewing how our processes failed.

“We recognise the hurt and distress it has caused, particularly for the young child’s family at this unimaginably difficult time.”

The little boy was pulled from the crocodile enclosure by zoo staff and is now in a critical but stable condition at Addenbrooke’s Hospital.

Following the incident, a 30-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and subsequently bailed because he was “unfit for interview”.

Police were called to the zoo at 13.24 BST on Thursday by the ambulance service and said the boy, who was not known to the man, had suffered serious injuries “while in the enclosure”.

Reacting to the email, one customer said they had “now unsubscribed” from Wowcher’s emails, while another person condemned the message as “disgusting”, adding: “If that’s real someone needs to be fired.”

The screenshot was posted to a Facebook group under the caption: “Why do wowcher think its ok to use this as a heading on their emails??”

The Wowcher spokesperson added: “We are reviewing all scheduled marketing content while we urgently strengthen our creative, approval and sign-off safeguards.

“There is no excuse for this. We apologise unreservedly and will take the necessary steps to make sure this does not happen again.”