Gator grabs 2 year old at Grand Floridian?

[Redcon1]

I also think a No Swimming sign means no wading. To me, wading is a form of swimming. You don't have to be doing the backstroke in the middle of the Seven Seas Lagoon to be considered swimming, IMO.

Has it been determined though if the child was actually wading or just stepped into the edge of the water on the beach when this happened? As it's been alluded to in other posts, if it was the latter, I'm sure thousands of other guests have done the same thing over the years. Not saying that is right, I wouldn't personally go near that lagoon's edge, particularly at night, but can see how the parent would think it shouldn't present much danger, especially since this hasn't happened before. Even if I had done something similar with my child, I would place myself on the outside closest to the water as precaution (similar to what we've done on rides, keeping them on the safer sides of the vehicles if there is one).

 

[Pookasaurus]

As for “not making an emotional response”? A two year old baby got snatched from its parents and dragged off to a grisly and horrific death all while everyone was absolutely helpless to stop it… how much more emotional can you get?!?! I mean…. They are currently cutting open alligators to look for pieces of a digested child…. So they can at least give SOMETHING back to the parents to bury…. And this is at Disney world…. A theme park…. Not the everglades or some sort of wildlife refuge. I mean… OF COURSE it is emotional – it is what nightmares are made of.

If I want to go hang out with the gators and bond with nature I’ll go to the everglades. I’ve been – big ‘ole signs telling you not to get out of your car, they’ll find you if you break down, a giant snake wrapped around the axle of the car while driving… Needless to say it is a hell I shall never, ever, ever return to – kudos to you if that is your thing…. but I am pretty sure that is not what Disney is selling here - nor what people are expecting to be buying. Sorry.

(and before anyone jumps down on my throat…. Yes, I am aware there are still alligators there and this was at one time their natural habitat and yes, I personally take those precautions (brain eating amoebas and all that, too)… but guess what… it isn’t now… and the place your house stands is no longer a natural habitat for all sorts of critters, either. It is a reality of life… just as much as alligators eating small mammals. No, I am not oblivious to the facts of the environment – that night in the everglades forever seared in my mind exactly what lurks all over Florida – couple that with my already high anxiety and over worrying due to living with OCD, and yeah… but I’m not going to judge others for not living with my irrational level of bat guano crazy and for evaluating a situation at face value. Shocked that someone doesn’t fully research the “Habitat”? It is a THEME PARK in a MAJOR US CITY - the natural habitat of the tourist… not prime place for alligator hunting grounds and attacks on people – never mind every bit of “research” would point to this NOT being a worry – the grand Floridian beach is HARDLY a swamp in itself, the baby was in a few inches of water at a Disney set up event, look at everything posted in this thread - alligators are afraid of the sounds of boat motors.. it was a lagoon filled with ferry boats and giant lit up floats playing music… a crowded area, alligators just want to be left alone, Disney removes the larger ones, etc).

Anyway, sorry but this is emotional to me… My heart is with those poor parents and that baby.. I can’t even imagine… Not knowing what happened to your child… yet at the same time knowing exactly what happened to your baby. Who is at fault? Too late. Now all that can be done is figure out a way to do whatever possible to hopefully prevent any other family for going through this....

 

[rteetz]

Orange County sheriffs are working to bring closure to the family.

Disney is cooperating and in their 45 year history in Florida has never had this happen before. Officer Demmings says Disney does have plans in place to prevent exposures like this.

 

[rteetz]

Divers have been in the water today. They are out of the water currently but may return later.

 

[rteetz]

Disney has a full staff observing water for large gators according to police.

 

[rteetz]

Disney's gator management program routinely allows them to take out gators from the lakes on property.

 

[rteetz]

A total of 5 gators have been taken out of the lake.

 

[mshanson3121]

It is illegal as far as I know

It is. Which, I think (a lawyer could chime in), only ups Disney's legal responsibility. They have had knowledge of guests doing this very thing (and now the Orlando Sentinal has a Disney employee confirming it), and yet they (Disney) has done nothing about it - either to prevent it, or to stop it.

 

[poison ivy]

Disney has a full staff observing water for large gators according to police.

that's great. but what did they do to prevent guests from wading in the water on movie night besides post a sign telling them no swimming?

 

[dlavender]

I addressed that part of your post because it showed the tone of the rest. Do you honestly believe that Disney knew the danger and chose not to address it due to money concerns? Please take the tinfoil hat off. Considering that there has not been a single case of alligator attack in Disney since they opened the gates before this? Is it POSSIBLE that the threat was was so negligible that there was thought to be no need for additional signage? Maybe Disney had more faith in human intelligence than was warranted. Nah, Disney is the EVIL EMPIRE that wants to take all your money and has 0 concern for your safety. Please disregard all the seat belts, height restrictions, roped off areas, etc, those are just for aesthetics. You run the risk of getting struck by a meteor as well. Maybe they should put up signs warning of that as well. THAT is how ridiculous your suggestion is.

Faith in human intelligence? Faith that people knew there were 4-5 alligators in Bay Lake? Faith that people would assume there was a 7 ft gator in that pond? Faith that people from outside the are knew no swimming meant no feet in the water at all while on a beach, because of the alligators? Is that why Disney puts up warning signs outside of their rides, because they have faith that people know that they shouldn't ride with a heart condition? No, I would say they have shown that they don't have faith.

Tinfoil hat? Which one of us is talking about meteors?

 

[mcjaco]

Lets do it this way:

Disney notices that there are 4-5 poisonous corral snakes hanging out around the Poly resort. They are attracted to the landscaping. They pull them out each day. They create a team of people dedicated to this. Everyday, they pull at least 2-3 out of the resort. They never tell anyone. One day, someone on a light night stroll is bitten by one. Is this Disney's fault? Since they knew of the nuisance, should they have at least let people know? Let people make a more informed choice on their actions? Give them the chance to be extra vigilant? After all, snakes are native to central Florida. The person was outside. Could have happened anywhere, right?

This would fall under Notice of a Previous Condition. They would be some legal liability in this case. There's still the defense of natural habitat, protective measures, etc.

 

[romitaz]

If Disney has a team pulling meteors out of the sky everyday, then yes, they need signage.

If Disney has a team pulling killer bees out of the sky everyday, then yes, they need signage.

If Disney has a team dedicated to helping children who have eaten the mints in the toilet ( I really hope that you know they aren't really mints in the traditional sense), then yes, they need signage.

And now we know a village is missing a certain someone. Please, for the love of Mickey, crawl back into that bubble before something gets you. If you think that is needed, how about at your house? Do you have signage all around your house to not touch that live electrical wire or do you know that it wouldn't be a good idea? How about a sign on all of your knives? Do you warn guests of how sharp they are? Where is your signage? See where I'm going with this? Blaming Disney is not the answer.

 

[Donald Duck888]

It is illegal as far as I know

Then it appears they need to enforce their laws a bit better if what this employee said is true. We have a lot of issues with black bears up here and we have a saying " a fed bear is a dead bear". It may not seem to be a big deal but it really is and thus should be enforced as such

 

[mcjaco]

It is. Which, I think (a lawyer could chime in), only ups Disney's legal responsibility. They have had knowledge of guests doing this very thing (and now the Orlando Sentinal has a Disney employee confirming it), and yet they (Disney) has done nothing about it - either to prevent it, or to stop it.

You can't monitor everyone at all times.

And we don't know if Disney hasn't already sent out notices to the parties feeding animals. There's only so much you can do. People are going to do what they're going to do with all the warnings in the arsenal.

 

[rteetz]

Then it appears they need to enforce their laws a bit better if what this employee said is true. We have a lot of issues with black bears up here and we have a saying " a fed bear is a dead bear". It may not seem to be a big deal but it really is and thus should be enforced as such

You can't catch every time it happens though. CMs aren't always in the area when it happens and it might be hard to prove without some sort of law enforcement in the area or cameras.

 

[jahber]

Anyone who has ever swam in a lake in Florida has been in the water with a gator. Most Floridians know this. It's not a surprise for most of us, but I'm learning now that it is for the rest of the world. And gator attacks are quite rare, which is why this is such big news. It was a tragic, tragic accident, but the reality is, people will continue to use lakes in Florida because statistically, you are much much much more likely to drown than be killed by an alligator. That does not make it any easier on that poor family, of course.
If you were not aware before, now you know that there are gators in pretty much any body of water large enough to physically hold a gator. If you are worried about gators, do not go near water. And definitely don't go near the water at night! Be safe and have fun.

 

[poison ivy]

I'm sorry but if Disney can post "pool rules" the likes of this at the Grand Floridian, they have no defense as to why there weren't "beach rules" as well.

 

[dlavender]

And now we know a village is missing a certain someone. Please, for the love of Mickey, crawl back into that bubble before something gets you. If you think that is needed, how about at your house? Do you have signage all around your house to not touch that live electrical wire or do you know that it wouldn't be a good idea? How about a sign on all of your knives? Do you warn guests of how sharp they are? Where is your signage? See where I'm going with this? Blaming Disney is not the answer.

I sure do tell my kids that the stove is hot.

I assume everyone above 10 has had intimate experience with knives, so no, I don't. (But I still would watch someone very closely in my house if they were wielding one, and not cooking )

You don't understand the argument.

If I had people over, and there was a live wire exposed, I would certainly warn my guests. Not sure why you wouldn't.

 

[Redcon1]

A total of 5 gators have been taken out of the lake.

I wonder why these weren't found earlier? How often do they patrol the waterways and remove them?

 

[mich1073]

I addressed that part of your post because it showed the tone of the rest. Do you honestly believe that Disney knew the danger and chose not to address it due to money concerns? Please take the tinfoil hat off. Considering that there has not been a single case of alligator attack in Disney since they opened the gates before this? Is it POSSIBLE that the threat was was so negligible that there was thought to be no need for additional signage? Maybe Disney had more faith in human intelligence than was warranted. Nah, Disney is the EVIL EMPIRE that wants to take all your money and has 0 concern for your safety. Please disregard all the seat belts, height restrictions, roped off areas, etc, those are just for aesthetics. You run the risk of getting struck by a meteor as well. Maybe they should put up signs warning of that as well. THAT is how ridiculous your suggestion is.

There has been a gator attack at Fort Wilderness in the 80s, the little boy was saved by his siblings and lived. Also another that went after someone at Poly I believe, but that person was warned by hissing and then it chased them. Disney does remove large gators as quickly as they can, but there are ALOT there and this is just a freak incident.