Heartbreaking news...a big reminder to be aware of wildlife on property

[nugov2]

A 2yr old should not be anywhere near a lakes shore especially wading in foot deep water alligator or not. The parents share in the blame.

Really?? Well put me in the bad parent camp. We belong to a private beach club and as soon as my littles ones could walk they were wading in foot deep water. Didn't know that was a no, no for parents. Can I ask why that is such a horrible thing for a child to do...because it seems like this is your view in general for any water not just this specific lagoon.

 

[Dis703]

Wow. So many people have a problem with reading comprehension. My post said that I thought it was irresponsible for the MK not to remove the gator that I saw with my own two eyes that was hanging out in Frontierland when it was spotted there. That doesn't mean I don't understand how wildlife moves around. Or that there are gators in Florida. Or that I think that Disney should remove every single gator it can from the property. All I said is I think that Disney's non-response to the gator that I spotted seemed irresponsible. Common sense dictates that once a dangerous wild animal comes into close proximity to humans that something should be done to remedy it. Since Disney isn't going to kick out all 19 million of its annual visitors to the MK, then at the very least it should be willing to relocate gators that have decided to take up residence inside the gates of one of its theme parks. Even if that means tomorrow another gator moves in. You move that one out, and so forth.

Thanks, but I have no issue with reading comprehension I was just responding to that specific post I quoted which had no mention of the incident you explained here. I have not made it through all 20 pages yet.

 

[Jaybrad]

We have been visiting WDW since the 70's. We have seen alligators in about every body of water on property. The most and largest are on the golf courses. Prior to Eagle Pines shutting down, it was common to see several around the pond on #1. They were not small!! The largest I have seen was on the Palms Golf Course. Play had been stopped as one 12+ feet long while the cage type trap was removed from the pond on the right side between #13 and #14 greens.

 

[atp]

Well either they get barriers or those "beaches" will be empty anyway. Nobody is going to get near that water anymore.

Most people won't even know about this incident. Most people do not research Disney. In a few months it will be as if nothing happens unless they put up signs on the beaches or restrict the access to them somehow.

I definitely take your point about signs not being followed. I think that warning of dangerous wildlife including alligators would likely have better compliance than ones on flash photography.

And it would provide info to many who don't fathom this to be a possibility. Seems like a reasonable thing to expect Disney to do -- more than walling off every body of water, in my view.

I think that the impact of these horrible events will fade, if human nature and all past events are any guide. As heartbreaking as these events are, people are resilient and move forward. And Disney will still be far safer than most places many of us go every day.

Exactly. People who see a sign and choose to ignore it, are making a choice to take a risk. Anyone is free to take any risks they want. It is one thing to ignore a No lifeguard sign knowing that you will be on your own if you drown. It's a very different thing to ignore the same sign expecting the worst that will happen is there will be no one to help you IF you drown, and then come across an alligator. It's not right to conceal that type of information, IMO and I don't think most people should be kept in the dark about the real dangers just because a few will not follow the signs. By that logic why have any signs at all?

I read in multiple articles that there have been no "nuisance gators" reported at Disney recently. Then someone posted an article of a British family that was almost attacked by a gator at the Poly beach last month. They were able to run away, but they were doing the same thing as the Nebraska family, waiting on the beach for fireworks, child playing in the sand by the water.

So much for nothing of the kind never happening at Disney. And of course no one knows about this because Disney sure as hell will make it go away fast, and if you try to talk about it through other outlets, like here, people will blame you, doubt you and defend Disney to the end.

I tend to disagree with your analysis. In the history of WDW I don't believe there has ever been an alligator attack. Disney routinely removes alligators from its waters. 45 years of a perfect record on this suggests policies worked. However, with this case Disney must figure out what they missed and whats needed to prevent it again. My guess is an existing policy was not followed correctly, maybe a lapse in monitoring and removal. A 2yr old should never have been allowed anywhere near a lakes water, alligators or not.

Just from reading this thread I now know about two incidents. And those were just the ones that ended up in the news. Yes, no one died, but do you really have to wait for someone to die to consider doing something about it? And of course, they will only do something about it if they are sued.

A LOT of stuff happens at Walt Disney World that you don't hear about because not everyone wants to expose their lives like that and/or sue Disney. That's how it always goes....you see something wrong, report it to Disney, Disney ignores it because they don't want bad publicity or dont want do upset a guest who is doing something inappropriate and then one day it blows up in their faces. I'll never understand why they choose this approach considering the image that they try to sell and the whole reason the park was created.

 

[mjkacmom]

A 2yr old should not be anywhere near a lakes shore especially wading in foot deep water alligator or not. The parents share in the blame.

What?! How about pools? Have you ever been to the beach? There are tons of toddlers playing at the shoreline. All of my kids have splashed around natural bodies of water as toddlers.

 

[lugnut33]

For decades people would swim in the lakes around Disney. Heck, I think the old water park would dump people right into the lake at the end of a tube run. WDW has been open for almost 45 years and this is the first time it has ever happened (it's still a tragedy and horrendous).

 

[anniemae]

I tend to disagree with your analysis. In the history of WDW I don't believe there has ever been an alligator attack. Disney routinely removes alligators from its waters. 45 years of a perfect record on this suggests policies worked. However, with this case Disney must figure out what they missed and whats needed to prevent it again. My guess is an existing policy was not followed correctly, maybe a lapse in monitoring and removal. A 2yr old should never have been allowed anywhere near a lakes water, alligators or not.

I thought the same as you, but I just read an article of a 1986 attack of a boy at ft. wilderness. His sister and someone else in the family were able to pry him away and the boy lived. Still a good track record, but it appears it happened in 1986.

 

[NeuroCindy]

Reading this thread, I'm concerned about how blasé so many are about the amoebas in the water. While the nasal passages are the method of entry they prefer, they can enter the body other ways (scrapes, cuts, opened blisters).

 

[lugnut33]

What?! How about pools? Have you ever been to the beach? There are tons of toddlers playing at the shoreline. All of my kids have splashed around natural bodies of water as toddlers.

If you read the Living with Gators informer that I linked it says don't leave children unsupervised. It's doesn't say avoid the lakes and beaches.

 

[DnA2010]

I am simply amazed at the number of people that were seriously not aware of this danger. Pete, founder of DIS has warned for years, Stay Out of the Lakes. Not only are there gators, but poisonous snakes and brain damaging amoebas. When I travel, I make myself aware of dangers. There comes a time when we have to take responsibility for our own safety.

I do however blame those that have been feeding the gators and thought nothing would come of it. Maybe some need to watch Animal Planet or Discovery channel and learn about the dangers of gators and what happens when people feed them.

But what about the people who don't follow the DIS boards or pod casts, who don't research Disney to no end? I research where I'm travelling and dangers (I work in a dangerous workplace environment so safety is quite ingrained) for example Hawaii waters or animals in the Rocky Mountains, but I honestly would have expected a lake made in the middle of WDW to be safe- especially as I'm pretty sure I have seen photos of people jet-skiing and water-skiing on the lake...from reading this thread and the other one in the Rumours area, which showed a picture of the sign posted, I would have thought the "no swimming" was due to no life guards being present, not due to wildlife. Like some others, I place a difference in walking along a water's edge/wading over swimming/submerging in water. I am from the west coast of Canada, and while I knew there were gators in Florida, certainly not to the extent that I am learning. I haven't stayed on-site (we rented a condo 10 min away) so haven't seen gators around WDW, and didn't know how prevalent they are.

 

[J'Adore Disney]

I adore Disney! It is my #1 vacation destination and although most of us, including me, immerse ourselves into the Walt Disney World “bubble” we also must remember, that Walt Disney World is not on another planet and it is not protected by a glass shield.

The Seven Seas Lagoon is man-made; however, it was dug out to connect with Bay Lake, which is not a man-made lake.

Unfortunately, Walt Disney World does a poor job of informing guests that alligators may be present. WDW’s signs advise guests to not feed the “animals,” to stay out of the lakes and to not swim in lakes, however, the signs are ambiguous as to why and do not specify which animals in particular!

I live in West Miami, Florida, near the Everglades to be exact. My husband and I ride bike trails in Shark Valley, where there are signs posted everywhere that alligators are present. It doesn’t keep us from going; however, it compels us to be cautious.

Floridians who live near canals and lakes know that an alligator can turn up in their backyard at any given time and therefore, some take necessary precautions by appropriately fencing their property.

Unfortunately, a number of people visiting Florida are not well informed that alligators abundantly live in this State including Walt Disney World.

 

[yulilin3]

Wow. So many people have a problem with reading comprehension. My post said that I thought it was irresponsible for the MK not to remove the gator that I saw with my own two eyes that was hanging out in Frontierland when it was spotted there. That doesn't mean I don't understand how wildlife moves around. Or that there are gators in Florida. Or that I think that Disney should remove every single gator it can from the property. All I said is I think that Disney's non-response to the gator that I spotted seemed irresponsible. Common sense dictates that once a dangerous wild animal comes into close proximity to humans that something should be done to remedy it. Since Disney isn't going to kick out all 19 million of its annual visitors to the MK, then at the very least it should be willing to relocate gators that have decided to take up residence inside the gates of one of its theme parks. Even if that means tomorrow another gator moves in. You move that one out, and so forth.

here's a good site to look at. If the gator is less than 4 feet it is not considered a nuisance and will not be removed. I've seen gators on the edge of Tom Sawyer Island and the island closes until the animal is removed but if it's s small one they let him be.
http://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/managed/alligator/nuisance/

 

[mbrown572097]

I think part of the issue is that Disney seems to have diverging messaging with regards to their beaches. They actively attempt to draw people to the beaches with various activities and shows, they provide lounge chairs and hammocks, they groom the beaches etc... And then they put up a No Swimming sign. The confluence of the two does not lead me to believe there is a gator threat. It leads me to believe there is a bacteria threat. I'd stay out of the water completely but would get eaten by a gator as I stood next to it watching the water show.

 

[jtowntoflorida]

Thanks, but I have no issue with reading comprehension I was just responding to that specific post I quoted which had no mention of the incident you explained here. I have not made it through all 20 pages yet.

You quoted me.

 

[ottawamom]

Most people won't even know about this incident. Most people do not research Disney. In a few months it will be as if nothing happens unless they put up signs on the beaches or restrict the access to them somehow.

I wouldn't be so sure about that. It was the leading story on the morning radio news here in Ottawa, Canada. I think people will know about it.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

Really?? Well put me in the bad parent camp. We belong to a private beach club and as soon as my littles ones could walk they were wading in foot deep water. Didn't know that was a no, no for parents. Can I ask why that is such a horrible thing for a child to do...because it seems like this is your view in general for any water not just this specific lagoon.

Before I say anything, I feel I should say to look back at my other posts in this thread and you'll see that I am not blaming the parents here.

To your post: are signs posted at your private beach club saying no swimming or the like? I don't know about "such a horrible thing for a child to do", but every time I've been at the little beach at BLT where they have signs posted not to swim, none of us goes in the water. Is this the "swimming" vs. "wading" interpretation again?

 

[Manda]

Just wondering, has anyone stayed at real beachfront property and been given a flyer saying sealife in ocean ie: jellyfish & sharks upon check in? Why would Disney give you a flyer on their wildlife? I don't mean to sound sarcastic so please don't take it that way. I have never heard of a resort doing this, which is why I am asking. Just because you didn't "think" or "realize" thst there is wildlife in surrounding areas is not Disney's fault. Just as it's not a resorts responsibility to inform you of sealife when staying at ocean front property.

We stay at a resort on Key Biscayne. They posts signs at the entry to their beach warning of jellyfish, etc., based on the current conditions. Last time we were there, it warned of a high level of jellyfish.

 

[LENNON500]

I wouldn't be so sure about that. It was the leading story on the morning radio news here in Ottawa, Canada. I think people will know about it.

It's actually the leading story in all of the national news shows/radio programs......everyone knows about it.

 

[atp]

Reading this thread, I'm concerned about how blasé so many are about the amoebas in the water. While the nasal passages are the method of entry they prefer, they can enter the body other ways (scrapes, cuts, opened blisters).

I am aware of that danger and I feel the same way you do but towards Disney and the fact they they offer activities that will put you in close contact with that water. Specially the preferred method of the nasal passages. Perhaps that's why people are so blase, because they assume if the risk was so great, Disney would not offer activities that put you in such close contact with an apparently great danger. They do warn you of everything else: by the hand, watch your step, do not ride if you have x, y and z conditions, ride has sharp turns and falls, ride is dark, can be frightening for children, ETC ETC. When that is the norm in their parks, I'm sure most people assume if Disney offers it/does not give a warning, it must be safe.

 

[nkereina]

Most people won't even know about this incident. Most people do not research Disney. In a few months it will be as if nothing happens unless they put up signs on the beaches or restrict the access to them somehow.

Quite the opposite actually. It was the breaking, leading story on The Today Show and Good Morning America this morning. Both shows has separate interviews with Orlando police and the Florida Wildlife folks. It's national news.