Anxiety about Gators

[Lilsia]

With over 30 visits in over 2 decades, we have seen maybe 3-4 small gators on property. If alligators attacking people was an actual issue in the state, especially WDW, then we would be hearing about it on the news and they would do something about it. People's dogs on property have more of a chance of attacking you then a gator.

 

[Sara_H]

I have been going to Florida quite often since I was a kid...the last maybe 6-7 years I have made it my mission to see an alligator just hanging out somewhere (don't worry, I mean, I want to see one at a safe distance or from a vehicle or something) and I only saw one once, 2 years ago in a pond at a non-Disney resort. I've never seen them on Disney property (even though we all know they are there somewhere). We did see an extremely fearless squirrel while waiting in line for Jungle Cruise though.

 

[DVC-Don]

At my Florida home we are on a pond (great view) with gators in it. Sometimes one will come up on our back lawn to sun. They don't bother us.

 

[MrsHammer]

I too suffer from anxiety about a lot of things, so I can relate to your fears. Back in 2012, we stayed at the Wilderness Lodge and one day we were leaving our room to go to the pool. As we approached the exit door that goes out to the pool area from the hallway, a cast member stopped us and directed us to exit from another location. Turns out that there was a snake coiled up right outside that exit door in a shaded area. There was another cast member outside keeping people from trying to come back inside the building from that doorway. Both cast members were very calm and polite and shortly thereafter we were told that Disney's animal control dept came and removed the snake. I'm telling you this not to make your anxiety worse, but to reassure you that cast members are trained to deal with wildlife and are prepared to deal with situations if and when they arise. We never saw another snake during that trip (but we did avoid that doorway during the rest of the trip).

 

[Euby]

The only time I have seen a gator at Disney was on the beach area of Coronado Springs in 2001. It was sunning itself right under an empty hammock. It was maybe 10-15 feet from the sidewalk. I just maintained my pace and kept walking.

As long as you don't do anything around the gator that is preceded by "Hold my beer." or "Hey, watch this!" you should be just fine.

 

[JimMIA]

As long as you don't do anything around the gator that is preceded by "Hold my beer." or "Hey, watch this!" you should be just fine.

The same is true of snakes.

Have you ever seen a picture of a snakebite? What body part was pictured?

Yep, the hand! How'd that little-biddy snake get all the way up there to bite that moron's hand???

 

[HeiHei2018]

I was a scout in north Florida and spent lots of time in woods and water. At camp, we would run the motor boat to scare creatures off before swim time. So a loud boat seems like a very safe place to be. Not one of the kids, teens, or adults ever got bitten, and we were swimming in the infested waters. Gators are not generally aggressive toward humans. There used to be loads sunning themselves on golf courses, and the golfers would take their swings way too close (to avoid a penalty for moving the ball). I'm sure you won't make ridiculous choices like that, so feel confident in your gator knowledge.

 

[jhoannam]

In my 30+ trips to WDW I have never seen an alligator or a snake. I have a phobia of snakes, and I often have anxiety about seeing them in FL (so I get your issue), but so far so good!

We’ve been 3 times and have seen both. But both were at Coronado.

 

[ZoeBell]

Oh my, this thread is giving me the heebie jeebies.

 

[cmwade77]

As someone who grew up and was around gators a lot as a kid, in the 20 or so times I've been to Disney now I've never once seen them on property. Yes, they are there, but they aren't regularly visible.

As for snakes just stay out of the water/lakes and bushes and you should be fine. Again they aren't usually just randomly out in the open. Neither creature wants to be around people.

I saw one in Rivers of America when riding the river boat, but that was many years ago.

 

[a1tinkfans]

You ll be fine OP, likely not see anything.

Now... same can’t be said for my part of this great ol sunshine state..
Black bears ( once was enough for that), snakes.. Talk about heebie jeebies, coyotes ( who love rabbits and hate downspouts apparently) And gators.. who like to sun on the shore, walk down the middle of cul de sacs without a care in the world and are LOUD and often much more aggressive during mating season.
It’s a different world From what I was used too.. but they were all here first and one learns quickly to respect Nature!

Have a Wonderful disney visit!!

 

[anneboleyn]

If it makes you feel better, OP, I am always on the look out for alligators because I think they are amazing but I have yet to see one anywhere but in their designated enclosure at AK. You will be okay

And also, don’t watch the trailer for the movie Crawl before you go lol

 

[Happyinwonerland]

Stay out of the water and you'll be fine (and you'd probably be fine in the water). I learned to swim in the Florida swamps in Polk county when i was about 4-5. I can remember jumping in from the dock that my dad built, then surfacing to see an alligator head just above the water about 20 feet away. I have never gotten out of the water so fast in my life, and I lived to tell the tale.

Now, there is a giant croc in the Festival of Fantasy parade you need to watch out for. He won't be able sneak up on you though, for all of the ticking. And if you find yourself on a 50 yard line with 11 gators staring you down, you'd better run because they are about to destroy you!

As for snakes, I have seen a lot of snakes on the walkways near the hotels, typically just tiny garden snakes. We keep our distance and they do the same.

 

[Pmlocke]

If you don't want to be around alligators, stay out of Florida. Last guesstimate was that there were more alligators in Florida than people. Probably a false stat, something I read on the internet. Thing is, WDW is in the middle of a swamp. You are going to have gators, snakes, lizards, bugs, etc. It's their natural habitat. Stay on the path, out of the water and don't go into the brush and you will be just fine.

 

[JimMIA]

If you don't want to be around alligators, stay out of Florida. Last guesstimate was that there were more alligators in Florida than people. Probably a false stat, something I read on the internet. Thing is, WDW is in the middle of a swamp. You are going to have gators, snakes, lizards, bugs, etc. It's their natural habitat. Stay on the path, out of the water and don't go into the brush and you will be just fine.

Naw! There are way fewer alligators than people! There are about 1.5 million alligators (according to the "Defenders of Wildlife") and a little over 21 million people in Florida...not counting tourists.

Although alligators look fearsome, they are almost never aggressive toward humans. To understand that, you have to look at it from the alligator's perspective. To get that perspective, lie on your stomach on the floor and look up at a human. We look MUCH bigger than the alligator from their perspective, so we don't look like very good prey. In fact, we look like BIG trouble!

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission ("Florida Fish and Squish") is the state agency which enforces wildlife regulations. On their website, they used to have a tracking of many years of alligator attacks. The overwhelming cause of attacks was people walking dogs alongside lakes -- dog gets attacked, owner defends dog, owner gets injured or killed. But other than that scenario, attacks on humans are very, very rare.

A1tinkfans mentioned above that alligators are very loud during mating season -- which happens to be right now -- and that is correct. However, they are talking to each other, not to us. If you hear a long bellow (10-20 seconds long), that's a boy gator. If you hear a series of short bellows (almost like snorts), that's a girl gator. If you listen closely, you will hear them talking, sharing Instagrams, etc.

Both male and female alligators are territorial -- but with regard to other alligators, not people. So this time of year, you might witness a fight if you're lucky, but that has nothing to do with people. Alligators ignore people as much as they can.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Aunt and Uncle work at MK and there was a gator not long ago in the woman bathroom just after the park closed!