Florida Wildlife at WDW

[katepass72]

Not blaming anyone, but I think to most people, a beach (even man-made) implies an ocean-like setting, something that most people know a few things about and can generally stroll in up to the ankles without much worry. I'm not a fan of dark murky water and know very well of the gators in Central FL, so I've never even considered dipping my toes in the Seven Seas Lagoon or any other non-pool at Disney. My guess is that eventually the beaches will either be replaced by grass/landscaping of some sort to detract from getting near the water, OR perhaps some sort of semi-unobstructive fencing (acrylic panels?? wire??) will be installed. Whatever it is, anyone suggesting that Disney "get rid of all of the gators" must be living on another planet. Nature always finds a way.

 

[katepass72]

A simple "Beware of Gators" sign would go a long way too . . .

 

[Mr. Drauer]

Alligators are everywhere in Florida, and rarely dangerous or deadly to humans. People have been enjoying the waters and areas around the waters at Disney since it was built, with this and an incident in 1986 as the only alligator / human conflicts. It was a freak accident, likely brought on by guests feeding a gator. For all of those posters referencing "man-eating" alligators, that is hardly the case. There were only 5 alligator related deaths in the US in the past 10 years. http://myfwc.com/media/152524/Alligator-Brochure.pdf

 

[rmkfan1]

Not only are there alligators on Disney property, there are lots of other possibly dangerous animals like snakes, spiders, bears, bobcats and even reports of panthers.
And the excuse of " I didn't know because I'm not from here", is a crazy statement. That's like going to Africa and saying "I didn't realize they have lions and other dangerous animals because I'm not from here!"

I'm glad you're so smart. The excuse of "momma said i was special so I'd thought I'd come on the Internet and share it with all of you" is a crazy statement, or at least one made by someone who has more ego than compassion and humanity. Keep on knowin' it all, bro.

 

[Goldilocks07]

We all need to take a step back and say to ourselves, this could have happened TO ANY OF US.
This poor child.
This poor family.

How many of us have strolled the lake's edge in just dipping in toes? This sweet boy was with his father, his mother not far away. This could have been any one of us with our little ones, enjoying a movie night, walking along the water's tiny lagoon waves softly petting the shores. Nature played a part in this boy's tragic fate, and forever their lives are changed and damaged. FOREVER.

Most of us have had our kids near the lagoons at WDW. This could have happened to any one of us. And still can.

I am horrified for the family. My heart aches for their loss, and what they will have to get through and endure, just to get a night's sleep without replaying this nightmare.
And I feel such a deep sadness for WDW and all of us out there who love Disney.

We should all be a little bit kinder to one another on this board.

 

[BLTLDZ]

Disney World was built, literally, on top of a swamp. Swamps are where alligators live. Alligators do not know or care that the "Happiest Place on Earth" exits on top of their home, nor does Disney have any way of keeping them all out, all the time. There are no "safety standards" being violated when naturally occurring wildlife show up on property.

The fact remains that you're really not safe anywhere, ever. There's no reason to live in fear, but it's important to be vigilant of your surroundings and possible dangers at all times, especially when in an unfamiliar area.

You took the words RIGHT out of my mouth! It's a SWAMP. Of course there are Alligators! A few years ago we were on Splash Mountain and the ride was stopped for about 20 minutes...we found out after the fact they had to remove a baby Alligator that somehow got in the ride! I kid you not.

 

[Accident]

From what I've read the last couple days online a lot of people weren't connecting florida is a swamp to WDW is in a swamp. I can see the concern that they weren't told so they didn't know to be aware of waterways and alligators or boars, cougars, etc etc etc etc etc.

 

[Guyton dis lover]

I hate this happened. Tragic situation and my heart goes out to the family.
Folks I think we have a big disconnect. If you live in the city you know the hazards. If you live in the country you know the hazards. They are not the same. I live in South East Georgia. Gators and snakes are part of my life. I have killed snakes at my front door. Gators are everywhere. If it snowed here you don't drive , because we do not know how to deal with it. Please when you come south educate yourself on the hazards just as I would try to do if I went to NY city. Expect the unexpected. This does not mean you have to be afraid just aware.

 

[TeamBlack]

I'm not a green peace/sierra club kind of guy. If you have to choose between the alligators and people, I choose people. I know Florida has alligator protection laws Disney has to follow, but lets make some exceptions when it comes to alligators in public areas. Move them, shoot them, what ever. No one can now deny that they are a clear danger to people. Wandering into the water at a resort beach should not be a death sentence.
p.s. I know I'm the only one that feels this way.

 

[Accident]

i'm sorry but walt dedicated 1/3rd of the land to keep it natural and the swamps and marshland are critical to the environment. If you have an issue with wild animals but still want a disney vacation then a property not located in florida may suit you better.

 

[chalee94]

Move them, shoot them, what ever. No one can now deny that they are a clear danger to people.

just the gator and wildlife experts.

there are around 1.3 million gators in FL. even if disney's special ops team mur-diddly-urdered every gator on property (no doubt while whistling "the circle of life"), there might be another gator that made its way down the connected waterways to a resort beach before they spotted it. what you are suggesting is impossible, at least, according to those FL wildlife experts who have been interviewed...

 

[rance]

I went to a resort in Alberta Canada. At check in the resort provided a brochure warning of the dangers of mnt lions and bears that are in the vicinity of the resorts. It provided precautions to take and what to do if you came across a bear. The hiking trails around the resort also had warning signs posted.
People come from all over the world to visit resorts and it isnt common knowledge to them what dangers are specific to that region. A little education by the resort can go along way in protecting their guests.

 

[Momof2B2G]

We took our first trip to Disney over Christmas/News Years 2014/2015. We are from Nebraska---and it wasn't until after we got back from our trip, and doing some "Googling," that I became aware that there were some sightings of alligators at Disney World. Didn't even give it a thought when we were there. And to think that my daughter and I had walked over to one of the small boat docks by POFQ--it was very dark--just wanted to look at the river.

Fast forward, a second trip earlier this year (and stayed at a different Disney property), I was much more aware this time of my surroundings, and when we would come back to where we stayed at night, we had to walk from the bus stop to our room, I was on the lookout....didn't want any surprises.

Needless to stay, on the last night of our stay, we came across caramel corn we had purchased earlier which had been strewn by and back behind the bed in our resort bedroom (we think whatever critter had been living under the bed (or up in the bedframe). When I spoke to the front desk about moving to another room---they were very accommodating by the way--and the woman mentioned, it is Florida after all, I had to let that comment sink into my brain.

Once again, I did some "Googling" when we returned--and that's when I finally understood the amount of wildlife in Florida. I must be a slow learner....

My heart aches for this family.

 

[mshanson3121]

I think so. I was surprised that so many people didn't know there are alligators in almost every body of water in Florida. If a second thread makes more people aware, it's a good idea IMO.

Again, many people know there are alligators in Florida. They don't however, expect those to be on Walt Disney World property. And why would they? If you read anything about alligators, it says they prefer swampy/water areas - which WDW is not. Is says that they are generally scared of loud noises - of which WDW has lots. Why WOULD you expect to look over at the snack cart and see an alligator? Also, many people don't realize that the lagoon (which is private, man made) is connected to Bay Lake, without a barrier. I think most people assume there is an underwater barrier to keep the critters out.

Also, you can't compare traveling to Florida with traveling to Africa, at least not for US residents. Most US residents probably don't research potential dangers etc... when traveling within their own country, because they likely have a sense of security in the knowledge of the country they've grown up in - which obviously may not cover everything. But not only that - you're going on a trip to Walt Disney World. You're going to a highly urban, developed resort area, not out in to the wilds of Africa. Most people honestly aren't going to think there's a need to research dangerous wildlife.

Sick and tired of the high and mighty attitudes of some people, and their belittling assumptions.

 

[P'colaBeachBum]

I'm not a green peace/sierra club kind of guy. If you have to choose between the alligators and people, I choose people. I know Florida has alligator protection laws Disney has to follow, but lets make some exceptions when it comes to alligators in public areas. Move them, shoot them, what ever. No one can now deny that they are a clear danger to people. Wandering into the water at a resort beach should not be a death sentence.
p.s. I know I'm the only one that feels this way.

I understand that in light of this tragedy people not from Fl may feel this way. Gators are a natural part of our eco system here. They are in EVERY part of Fl, it's their habitat. FWC does it's best to control the nuisance gators. People feeding them are a big part of the problem. They become accustom to it. We have anacondas in our wet lands, bears in neighborhoods, the list goes on. I see snakes on a daily basis and they are also at WDW.

Eta...pp mentioned man made water/lakes. We have many large retention ponds that are not connected to a natural body of water. In most of them you will see gators, including water hazards on golf courses.

 

[Nebraska_Disney]

It is amazing to me that people think that gators can't walk on land and barriers in the water will keep them away. Grab a biology book and educate yourself a bit. My analogy is that we built our house on an old golf course driving range, should I be surprised when I dig a whole and find a golf ball? If it was so easy to relocate/remove wildlife from an area, we would not have planes needing to make emergency landings due to hitting birds.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

I can't believe that the other thread was closed down because of "blaming", which admittedly was not the intent of the OP, and this one that begins with the premise of blaming anyone ignorant of FL wildlife is still going... along with ANOTHER wildlife thread. I guess I just don't get it.

 

[P'colaBeachBum]

It is amazing to me that people think that gators can't walk on land and barriers in the water will keep them away. Grab a biology book and educate yourself a bit. My analogy is that we built our house on an old golf course driving range, should I be surprised when I dig a whole and find a golf ball? If it was so easy to relocate/remove wildlife from an area, we would not have planes needing to make emergency landings due to hitting birds.

Another problem of relocating is where? Fl is being gobbled up by developers to accommodate people relocating. Our green spaces are disappearing and replaced by concrete and our rivers are polluted by fertilizer runoff.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

And the excuse of " I didn't know because I'm not from here", is a crazy statement. That's like going to Africa and saying "I didn't realize they have lions and other dangerous animals because I'm not from here!"

Apparently Disney now disagrees with you and realizes it has at least some responsibility to educate their guests from all over the world about a potential threat -- however slim:


http://www.orlandosentinel.com/busi...ator-attack-signs-warning-20160616-story.html

"Walt Disney World plans to put up signs warning visitors of alligators following an attack that killed a young boy Tuesday, a source with knowledge of the situation has told the Orlando Sentinel
...
Disney spokeswoman Jacquee Wahler issued a statement Thursday afternoon saying "we are conducting a swift and thorough review of all of our processes and protocols. This includes the number, placement and wording of our signage and warnings."


And of course all discussion here -- and more -- was on the closed thread.

 

[HM]

I thought that this thread would be about the types of wildlife we've seen at WDW.
Turkey, Deer, Ducks, Rabbits, Lizards, Gators, Birds of various types, Squirrels, Turtles, Fish,....
I haven't seen a Panther or Bobcat, but know they could be around.