DVC's Beach Alligator problems?

[ScubaCat]

Having to put signs up to warn people about Alligators in Florida is almost as bad as McDonalds having to put a warning message on Coffee cups that Coffee is hot and could burn you.

Just when you thought a thread couldn't get any worse.

 

[keishashadow]

Why do I feel like I'm listening to a radio station in Fargo about deer crossing signs.

Oh no, you didn't! Had forgotten about that video Always thought it just had to be staged for likes

 

[_auroraborealis_]

The thing about "artificial" lakes is they're rarely self-contained. The lakes of WDW weren't created simply as scenic features. The land is reclaimed swamp, in a place that gets a lot of rain. You have to have drainage. Water must go somewhere.

Even golf-course communities with water features on hole 4, the feature is partly a drainage exercise for many courses. And they're far closer to "self-contained" than WDW grounds are, but gators find those nice happy ponds and happily sit themselves in them. That lost ball? Leave it be.

There is no way to keep wildlife, such as snakes, mosquitos and gators, out of WDW grounds short of making it like a would-be Mars surface habitat, completely hermetically sealed, enter through the airlock.

 

[McCrae]

Just when you thought a thread couldn't get any worse.

Ah one of the blame everyone else for your mistakes type.

 

[Sur]

My kids were raised hearing about gators in the waters and reminded every trip. Thought I had the bases covered. Ha, I still vividly recall my oldest DS (early teen at the time) on golf course in Myrtle Beach reaching into pond for an errant 'expensive' golf ball. Not sure who screamed louder when we saw the gator surface & head towards him, me or the Marshal. A lesson almost learned the hard way. My point is even those who know Better can momentarily think "it won't happen to me"...sadly, it's human nature.

Oh my! As for me, I just thought a 7-8 foot gator would have been spotted taking other wildlife then removed. A huge gator eluded a massive amount of people. I was disillusioned. I never even contemplated the possibility of this happening and that level of ignorance is surprising me! Heck, I lived in Florida for YEARS!

 

[LisaS]

Having to put signs up to warn people about Alligators in Florida is almost as bad as McDonalds having to put a warning message on Coffee cups that Coffee is hot and could burn you.

Most people, unfortunately, learned the hard way that hot things can burn you so the warning message about hot coffee seems unnecessary, although that lawsuit did make me aware that spilling hot coffee on oneself can result in 3rd degree burns requiring skin grafts. Many people do not know there are alligators at WDW and the consequences of not knowing were tragic for this family.

I knew there were alligators in Florida but until my second or third visit to WDW, I thought they were just in the Everglades. I had no idea they could be found in populated areas. Yes I did read a couple of guidebooks prior to my first trip to WDW, but none of them mentioned alligators or snakes that I recall and given my aversion to snakes I think I would have remembered! Eventually I happened to read some posts about snakes and alligators at WDW here on the DISboards and was glad to have that information.

If putting up signs educates those people who, for whatever reason, never knew there are alligators and snakes throughout WDW, I'm good with that.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Why do I feel like I'm listening to a radio station in Fargo about deer crossing signs.

Deer are not allowed to stand in the road in Fargo. According to the signs they are only allowed to cross.

MG

 

[Sammie]

I guess the vacation club is Disney’s second best kept secret; sadly, this is/was their best kept secret! There is no other responsible party; Disney is 100% responsible for this tragedy! They created an enterprise within the wild and did not manage risk properly. They knew these animals were there and yet they never informed anyone visiting of a potential risk. What were they thinking!? If they didn't want to put up signs (we know why), they should have erected underwater fencing around all of their man-made beaches. At the very least, their Chief Risk Office should be fired, if not the entire executive team in Orlando. Did they ever have an internal audit? Did they ever have an audit by local or state authorities? An enterprise of this size, even if they are self-insured, must have had regular audits. How could this have been missed? How could someone at the top think they were properly managing this life-threatening risk? Disney knew there was risk and didn't manage it properly. Do the patrons have a role in managing risk? Absolutely! But for the patrons to personally manage risk, they need to know there is risk. FLAME ON!

It would be impossible for Disney to remove all risk or even warn about them. The child that was riding his bike and got too close to the bus and was killed. How do you prevent that. It was an accident, just as this was. Were you suppose to get a brochure in your room that says if you ride your bike too close to a bus you could die. If you go outside during a storm you could be hit by lightning, which is actually more likely than a gator attack. Under water fencing would not stop gators. You really need to educate yourself on gator behavior if you are going to visit a state where 1.2 million gators live.

I mean seriously some of you are being unreasonable.

 

[ScubaCat]

If this happened monthly or even yearly, I could see an issue. But literally you're more likely to hit the powerball twice than have this happen. Putting up the fence and signs is appropriate, but I think people's expectations can get a little crazy. Heck, if I were there and someone offered me 10 grand to swim on that beach right now, I'd jump in immediately.

Stuff happens. That's why they call it an accident.

 

[OKgirl]

Count me as one of the ignorant people who didn't know gators attacked humans. Gator attacks never make our news in the midwest. I am aware that there are gators in Florida but apparently thought they didn't typically grow large enough to attack children. We own points at GFV and I am sad to say I have let my children wade ankle deep in the water at that beach. I saw the No Swimming signs and thought that was due to no lifeguard on duty and bacteria in the lakes. Never in a million years did I think that could happen on that beach. I cried when I saw the news because that could have been my child attacked. I grieve for this family and pray for them. I know that a "Beware: Gators" sign would have terrified me and kept me away from the water so I'm glad they are putting signs up. I don't blame Disney, the parents/child attacked, or the gator but I hope with the changes that no one else will be hurt.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Count me as one of the ignorant people who didn't know gators attacked humans. Gator attacks never make our news in the midwest. I am aware that there are gators in Florida but apparently thought they didn't typically grow large enough to attack children. We own points at GFV and I am sad to say I have let my children wade ankle deep in the water at that beach. I saw the No Swimming signs and thought that was due to no lifeguard on duty and bacteria in the lakes. Never in a million years did I think that could happen on that beach. I cried when I saw the news because that could have been my child attacked. I grieve for this family and pray for them. I know that a "Beware: Gators" sign would have terrified me and kept me away from the water so I'm glad they are putting signs up. I don't blame Disney, the parents/child attacked, or the gator but I hope with the changes that no one else will be hurt.

You're partially correct. Gators generally do not attack humans.

That said, if you thought the "no swimming" signs was due to bacteria, why on earth would you let your kids go in the water, even ankle deep??

MG

 

[McCrae]

Most people, unfortunately, learned the hard way that hot things can burn you so the warning message about hot coffee seems unnecessary, although that lawsuit did make me aware that spilling hot coffee on oneself can result in 3rd degree burns requiring skin grafts. Many people do not know there are alligators at WDW and the consequences of not knowing were tragic for this family.

I knew there were alligators in Florida but until my second or third visit to WDW, I thought they were just in the Everglades. I had no idea they could be found in populated areas. Yes I did read a couple of guidebooks prior to my first trip to WDW, but none of them mentioned alligators or snakes that I recall and given my aversion to snakes I think I would have remembered! Eventually I happened to read some posts about snakes and alligators at WDW here on the DISboards and was glad to have that information.

If putting up signs educates those people who, for whatever reason, never knew there are alligators and snakes throughout WDW, I'm good with that.

Even if you didn't know about the potential wildlife dangers a 2 year old should not be in the water by themselves, late a night. You have to ask what on earth were the parents thinking/doing. All sorts of accidents could happen.

Its not the lack of signs that led to this event....it was the lack of parental care.

 

[jekjones1558]

Putting on my flame suit.
I have been to WDW so many times that I don't even count. For sure more than 70 times. I have never once even seen an alligator on Disney property. We are usually at BWV and I have walked along the canals to Epcot and Studios 100s of times and have never seen an alligator. I don't recall ever seeing an alligator warning sign on Disney property, though I admit I may have and just don't remember. I think this has conditioned me to feel unconcerned about alligators at WDW. Living in Minnesota has not made me alligator aware. I could absolutely see myself allowing my child to splash at the edge of the water on a warm night and I would probably be smiling as I watched. "No swimming" does not mean the same thing to me as "No touching the water at all." I am not arguing semantics, it would just never occur to me that getting your feet wet in the water is considered swimming or dangerous. I also would never think that Disney would hold events on the sand bordering water with alligators.
My heart breaks for this family. What worse pain can there be on this earth than witnessing what happened to this child and be helpless? I hope they are being shielded from the negative comments on the internet. Count me among those who believe that these parents are the worst kind of unlucky and I support them 100%.

 

[Chuck S]

I'm going to go ahead and close this thread. The DVC Boards are really not the place to debate the responsibility for the loss of a child.