Anyone seen an alligator?

[prplcrzy]

My wife and I are fighting about the alligator population at Disney, I say there aren't any and she says there are. Anyone seen one? Please tell us where and when. Don't be afraid to reply because you don't want to get involved in a marital spat. And we don't bite!!!

 

[PamOKW]

She's right. There are alligators everywhere in Florida. I saw one sunbathing on the lawn by the pond at CBR. Also, a very large one up the road in a pond on the golf course at Bay Hill during the Arnold Palmer Bay Hill Invitational.

At OKW I haven't seen an alligator but I did see a VERY large snapping turtle in the grass.

 

[pluto109]

a young boy was bit at fort wilderness by a gator requiring lots of stitches...a few years back.Iread the article in the boston globe

 

[drusba]

There are alligators. From the main lakes, Disney tries to relocate them when found but they show up there now and then. They are one of the reasons why bathing is not allowed in the lakes. Last time there in June saw an eight foot alligator walking beside a water hazard along the Eagle Pines golf course.

 

[Figment2]

I was on the Backstage Tour. The tour bus turned to go backstage at the MK when I saw a gator slip into the water. Guide said they show up periodically.

A friend once told me her daughter saw baby gators in the shallows near Dixie Landings.

Cyn

 

[pluto109]

saw one at the wilderness lodge near the geyser

 

[Disney Adventurer]

I think it might be time to suck it up and admit to the wife she was right (of course you might be able to save face by saying you meant there were no salt water crocidiles, not alligators). There are alligators, I actually saw one inside the Magic Kingdom. Was standing by the water across from Tom Sawyers Island, on the wooden walkways across from Aunt Pollys restaurant and saw a small alligator near the bank.

 

[sratay]

Just saw a 5-6 footer on the 5th hole at the Palm golf course about 2 weeks ago. He didn't seem to mind us so we just let him be. We played our shot from about 10 yards from him. Over the years we've never NOT seen a gator at Disney World, but it's usually around one of the golf courses we see them.
Steve in Iowa

 

[Wislodgers]

We have always seen small alligators in the ponds when we walk from SOG to the Polynesian.

 

[Cruelladeville]

My husband saw a gator walking across the Magnolia last spring, and he also saw a small gator sunning himself on the Palm. When we were at the Magic Kingdom over the 4th of July weekend we took the train on the loop around the Magic Kingdom, and I saw a gator back near Thunder Mountain. It scared me half to death because that was so unexpected. I mean, whoever heard of a gator in the Magic Kingdom before?? I thought I was alone, till I saw this post!

 

[vernon]

Just in case you still need convincing to pay up to your wife, I've seen them several times, usually on the golf courses , but also in the waterways around OKW and Port Orleans

 

[Penny12]

I saw a 'gator at Coronado Springs about a year ago one afternoon - just beside one of the small lakes and *very* close to one of the hotel buildings... (infact he looked like he was sitting underneath the balcony's waiting for a snack )

They are definately there!

Penny!

 

[dvc1995]

What a great thread. At River Country, the water area is separated from the lake water with a large steel mesh net to keep the gators from nibbling at the guests. However, one of the workers told me that they do have to occasionally remove poisonous snakes from the rocks and water. WDW is not Kansas you know.

 

[msdis]

Of all the trips we have had to Disney I have only ever seen one little tiny snake at Epcot one day. YOU GUYS HAVE ME SCARED TO DEATH!!!! If anyone runs into a woman in the future who has hers eye peeled to the ground and isn't watching where she is going, it will be me and you will all know why. Yikes, I'll never vacation the same again.

 

[prplcrzy]

My wife thanks all of you for your support and ammunition for the next twenty or so years. I am never going to live this down but it is interesting to see how many people have seen them. We've been there a bunch of times and have never seen one, now I guess I'll have to look harder.

 

[akdisneyfan]

When we were at OKW in '97 , seemed to be alot less birds and ducks around the lake, when I asked a CM about it she said they were having a problem with a young gator that was taking advantage of the easy meal. On our last day they had cornered the gator at the docks and the Disney alligator wrangler was capturing it just like the Crocodile Hunter on Animal Planet. It was really exciting and my kids thought it was one of the greatest things they had ever saw! For months afterwards my 6 year old was saying he wanted to be an alligator wrangler for Disney when he grew up!!
Kim

 

[Peter Johnson]

In late May we saw a gator one afternoon strolling around the MK handicapped parking lot. We dubbed him the MK Parking Attendant, and decided that if you didn't have your handicap sticker they wouldn't "boot" your car, they'd "gator" it

 

[CarolAnnC]

I have posted on this before, but several years ago, while riding the bus back to the Carribbean Beach Resort, we saw a large alligator sunning next to a small retaining pond on the resort property. There were a few people on the bus who were chuckling at what they thought was an audio animatronic gator! The bus driver pointed out that it was a real one and they do frequently show up on WDW property.