Alligator at Tom Sawyer’s Island.

[lorrainesy]

There use to be an alligator in the water on the ride over to Tom Sawyer’s island. The story from the CMs is that she was a gate crasher, for some reason she really liked it there every time they moved her she came back. The last few times I was there she was not. Does anyone know what happened to her? I really wish they would have left her there…it was a really funny story, but u guess it wasn’t safe. I am hoping that there is a happy ending like….maybe they moved her to Animal Kingdom?

 

[safetymom]

Once they get to a certain size they are removed. Disney also has a nature preserve it could have been moved to.

 

[Mandalou]

Am I the only who is bothered by a real, live alligator in the water by Tom Sawyer Island? We saw a gator there a few years ago, too, and when I told the CM about it he wasn't bothered at all.

We're from WI and don't see gators on a daily basis, so maybe our ignorance is fueling an unwarranted fear . . . I don't know. I have read that gators cannot climb, but isn't part of the shore of Tom Sawyer Island sloped to the shore? Couldn't a gator walk right up on the island? Maybe I'm wrong, but we haven't been back on the island since we saw it a few years ago. It just bothered me and my DH too much.

Maybe there's a "gator expert" out there who could give us some more information?? (I'm sure there's a technical term for "gator expert". . . but you know what I mean. )

 

[sue1013]

It's Florida there can be gators in any water. With all the water at WDW of course there are gators. Disney removes them when they get too big.

 

[Mecha Figment]

not much to fear about aligators until they get to a prety unmanagable size. small gators aren'ts anything to wory about especialy if you are not in the water with them. They are more docile than Crocs and are less likely to attack humans unless otherwise provoked.

 

[lorrainesy]

The gator I saw I would not be afraid of even if it did get on the island

 

[AJKMOM]

There are over a million alligators in Florida now. I read that they could be in almost any natural body of water, including on the Disney property. If people would quit feeding them, they would move on their own to a place with food. However, you always see visitors throwing leftovers at them. Then, when the alligator isn't afraid of humans any more, it gets killed.

 

[wdwguide]

They are scary-looking and you should certainly respect them and keep your distance, but they are fairly harmless for adults unless they have been fed, you are approaching their nest or you harrass them (like throwing rocks at them, etc).
Mammals are part of their diet when they get big, and they have been known to eat racoons, cats, dogs, and even deers (as well as (very rarely) young children).
Statistically speaking, the fatality rate in alligator attacks is just under 4%, and there have only been 326 reported incidents between 1948 and 2003, most of which were in south Florida.

 

[elmo2wdw]

Here are the 2 alligators we have seen at Tom Sawyer's.

 

[bigsis1970]

I saw one in the little moat/brook at BCV -- he looked just like the one in photo #1 !!

 

[sodaseller]

You're safe unless you're a Hoya. Then you are subject to attack from 7' Gators

 

[allisonswonderland]

That was a good one- I hate Georgetown