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

[thetallone101]

I'm hoping they will find the gator that took the boy so they can have closure. I just....can't imagine.

 

[thetallone101]

AMEN!

Really?!?! And how do you know the dad didn't do everything he could?!?! Gators are MUCH more powerful than the strongest human.

 

[A Mickeyfan]

Disney was not built in a bubble. It's a real world there, it's not magical and covered in pixie dust, you know that is just one's imagination right?. ... there is crime, there are traffic accidents, there are even fatalities on property. Disney is not responsible for guests every move. While they try to make your stay as pleasant as possible, it's still the real world in there. It rains, hurricanes hit, police patrol and wildlife coexist alongside guests as they do throughout the State

 

[luvgoing2disney]

My first thought was Pete Werner and "Stay out of the damn lakes" my second was the child was in the water after reading he was snatched from the beach which was correct.
.

That was one of my first thoughts as well, after the initial shock of hearing about what had happened.

I was reading about the accident on a new website and read some of their comments. One person wrote "I thought that was part of the ride LOL" What the heck is wrong with some folks? Our country has been hit very hard by tragedies over the past week and to read some of their incredibly stupid, senseless opinions is just unbelievable.

 

[minniemous]

Just because you wouldn't let your kids go into an area with a sign saying there is alligator and water moccasin danger, that doesn't mean that others will follow suit. There will always be those who don't see a danger and therefore see a rule as frivolous. Would an extensive list of dangers for those who decide to step in the water keep Disney out of court? Probably but it wouldn't prevent anything like this happening again. Same with a fence or wall or getting rid of the beach altogether.

It would protect against most. You are assuming most people are cavalier with their children. Many are...most are not. Most people seeing such a sign would not have allowed their child near the edge of the water. If these people were like most reasonable parents and saw such a sign they would not allowed play in the shallow water and then possibly tragedy averted.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

The sign is no good. Is says "swim". It doesn't mention wading, walking, standing, sitting in, dipping toes in, splashing or playing in the water. It also says to stay off "rocks" what about boulders?

Dawn

Fine. Would you really say that there is no difference in how most people would view these two signs?? That's what we're really talking about. One connotes RULE, the other connotes DANGER. Simple. And a distinction that I think it reasonable for Disney to make for its guests.

 

[jahber]

I honestly didn't know they allowed these activities. It makes no sense to offer them.

Why not? You don't HAVE to go in the water. But lots and lots of people live on lakes here and enjoy the water. Even with alligators. They rarely attack and even more rarely kill people. It would make much more sense to just ban all water activities everywhere in the country because of the risk of drowning. But that's not going to happen, because we love water. And most of us take precautions to be safe. (Which is NOT a commentary on this particular case. I was not there. But I believe it was a tragic accident, not a case of negligence.)

 

[wendyt_ca]

I have been following this story since last night and I find it completely heartbreaking that this happened (especially on someone's Disney vacation).

Personally I am trying to not place actual blame on anyone. I think the parents are suffering enough and will blame themselves enough without everyone else saying it is their fault. Should the child have been in the water...probably not. But if I step back and think about it they probably just weren't really thinking anything could happen. They were in vacation mode just enjoying themselves. It's easy to look from the outside after having time to see the results and think what you would and wouldn't have done. I know myself I wouldn't have a child in that water at all (especially at night) because I won't go in those lakes because I know they are not clean and the dangers that can be in lakes. I am cautious when walking around at night. But I do not place blame on the parents. Because anyone can make a decision that can result in something like this happening (it doesn't have to be just in Disney). Yes this probably could have been avoided...but again it's easy to misjudge a situation. They obviously did not realize this was a risk and the consequences they are living with are horrific and no one should ever need to deal with that. Does it seem obvious to most that there could be an alligator in any lake in Florida...maybe...but maybe they just weren't thinking about them or didn't know. I know there are but I could easily just not think one night and be near the water, as could anyone. It's not something that happens regularly so it is not front and center in our minds.
I also do not think that this is Disney's fault. Disney has the no swimming signs and to me those signs have always meant stay out of the water. Sadly everything is open to interpretation because clearly based on this post not everyone reads that to mean the same thing. But I never step in those lakes. We got to Disney 2-3 times per year and surprisingly I have never seen a gator (I may be on the lookout next trip) but I do know that they exist. Anywhere you go in the world you are at risk of being hurt by the local wildlife. Disney can't put a sign up for every possible situation that can happen. Disney does not want a situation like this to happen and I am sure that they are all over this and doing whatever they can for this poor family. But blaming them helps no one.
And I think saying that the father didn't do enough when fighting the gator is ridiculous. A human cannot easily take a gator on. I think it is commendable that he tried knowing he could lose his life.
I know everyone wants answers and to place blame somewhere as a way rationalize why this wouldn't happen to them but in reality it is a tragic accident, and accidents happen.

 

[WuvEeyore]

Well, maybe it should say stay away from the water. In other words, get off the beach. It sounds like the water isn't necessarily the problem. I know that we will be steering clear of the water and beaches at night. We always stayed out of the water anyway. It's just too hard to see anything at night down there.

From an article on Fox News... http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/06/1...snatched-by-alligator-is-dead-police-say.html
The attack happened at an area of the lagoon where “no swimming” signs were posted, Demings said. The boy wasn’t swimming in the water, but playing on the edge, about a foot or two into the water, Williamson said.

 

[atp]

Careless with guests safety? Seriously? IMO, Disney goes way beyond what is needed, just because people think rules and limitations don't apply to them.

Disney does not go above and beyond what is needed or they would warn guests of the alligators who clearly live in their little fake beaches. I have read many accounts of guests trying to report dangerous things to Disney and being dismissed, and I have had to personally report incidents to Disney and I learned first hand how seriously they really take things.

They way things work with Disney (or almost any other company) is that they will only take you seriously if you involve the press, sue or if someone dies or is very seriously injured. Which is why I say they are careless. They do not take action to prevents things that they know to be dangerous if they feel the odds are not high. Unless they are forced to or it is something very obviously dangerous. They take chances. Sure you take chances with everything in life, you can't prevent everything. But you know there are alligators, there has been a recent incident. There are people from all over the world. Alligators are not common in most parts of the world (or the US for that matter). What do they do about it? Nothing. Wait until a child dies. Now MAYBE they will change something.

I know it looks like they are so proactive and care so much about you, but if you have first hand experience dealing with them, you see that they just care about their image and their profits, just like every other company out there. They just happen to have a very unique product.

It's really sad. It's not really the parent's fault. Could they have obeyed the signs & stayed out of the water, yes, but maybe as others have posted they didn't realized what exactly the dangers, but that's not Disney's fault either. We all have personal responsibility over ourselves & our children. It was just an accident, an accumulation of circumstances that led that child to be in that exact location where that exact alligator was, who looked at the child as an easy prey. It's what alligators do. If the child & his family were 10 feet to the right or left, it probably wouldn't have happened. It's unreal & horrible, but an accident just the same. Sometimes bad things happen & that's all.

I agree that it is no one's fault, but maybe if the parent's knew there were alligators living there, they would have done things differently. That's why I think Disney should warn people. When you make an area that looks like a calm beach and you invite guests to it with only a warning to not SWIM, guests are going to expect it to be safe. Yes, there will be bugs, spiders, maybe snakes...but that's something that exists almost anywhere in the world and they don't attack and eat a human in a split second. An alligator is something much more dangerous and difficult to save yourself from. You don't have to warn people about every single danger, but big dangers that will likely be fatal and that are no common worldwide, should be made clear to guests who are paying to be at a vacation destination that has the reputation of the happiest place in the world and is known for being very safe.

Of course none of that will bring the child back and this is not about deciding who is to blame, but it's important to at least try to prevent it from happening again, regardless of why it happened. Many have said they did not know alligators live in those waters. I did not know either. From now on I will not walk close to the shore or go to the beach at night. But what if I didn't read all the information on this thread? All I would know is that a freak accident happened and it was just a rare alligator that made its way to the beach.

They can either be upfront with guests or guests will have to assume that they cannot trust Disney to warn them of the risks that their rides, activities and recreation areas offer. We are not talking about something that has never happened before or a rare alligator sighting. I think anything that happens on property that could reasonably happen to someone else and has the potential to be fatal, should be made into a warning, just like they already do on their rides and many other areas on their property.

 

[mackay_j]

Firstly - thoughts/sympathy for the family. Secondly- as non US citizens on our first visit we drove all the way down to the everglades to see some gators as it did not occur to us that there were some in Orlando area. Also on that visit in animal kingdom resort my two girls entered an organised treasure hunt - the prize was beads that collected may a bracelet. On undertaking this hunt they had to look under bushes round the pool area. Under one was a moccasin. I pulled them back out the way and it was soon removed. However, I was taken aback that Disney had organised something which was potentially dangerous without warning us of any issues which could arise. Luckily we had gone round with our 2 girls, but some of the other children were doing the hunt on their own, while there parents watched from the poolside. I think it should not be assumed that outsiders understand potential dangers. At the beaches I would not have let my kids near the water- but that would be based on my own knowledge of the potential dangers of stagnate water, I would have assumed on my first visit that is what the signs were for.

 

[old feller]

I have a question. If the child and family were walking next to the water and not touching it at all,couldn't the gator have still done this? Prayers to the family

 

[mbrown572097]

I have a question. If the child and family were walking next to the water and not touching it at all,couldn't the gator have still done this? Prayers to the family

I am hearing from a friend that it would be unlikely. Crocs Yes, Gators unlikely.

 

[crewmatt]

I knew Florida is full or gators...its the main reason I wont move there (even though I really would love to live in FL) but (and I know this sounds dumb) I just never associated gators with Disney.

I guess I always imagined there was some perimeter fence around Disney to keep unwanted wildlife out. SSL is a man made lagoon so the only thing in there would be what they stocked it with (or what bird droppings brought in) perhaps. Its just one of those things I never thought about. I always felt incredibly safe at Disney World and the thought of being attacked by a gator has NEVER crossed my mind (though its on the forefront of my mind anywhere else in FL).

Maybe its because we're brainwashed about the "Disney Bubble" and how magical, safe, and perfect it is.......but there really is no bubble. Its no different than anywhere else. I can't even fathom what this family must be going through so I won't even comment on it. Disney, oh man, this is NOT the publicity the wanted or needed. I mean...HOW do you combat this? A pool drowning? Thats one thing. Tragic but far more "acceptable" in terms of being able to understand than a gator snatching someones child in the water.

I was just on the beach in October at O'hana. I looked over at the GF several times, amazed at how close it was. Never in my wildest dreams did I suspect a gator was in those waters.

I do believe a huge lawsuit will be delivered from this and we will see many changes around bodies of water on Disney property due to this incident. Even if I saw a "no swimming" sign I would never have associated it with gators. I would just figure its there because they don't have lifeguards around, the bottom isn't prepped for swimming, or that Disney doesn't want any more cases of the amoeba thing that caused them to shut down River Country. Gators just never would have been a thought.

So like.....the moat around the castle....the intricate waterways in the parks.....I guess gators can be lurking in those too. What if they get into a ride like POTC where its dark and snatch someone from a boat? I mean really....

Intricate waterways within the park are significantly smaller than a lake that is over a mile in circumference. A small moat is relatively easy to patrol and spot gators, a large lake, especially one that is connected to Bay Lake as well would be next to impossible to patrol for gators.

 

[AFwifelife]

It would protect against most. You are assuming most people are cavalier with their children. Many are...most are not. Most people seeing such a sign would not have allowed their child near the edge of the water. If these people were like most reasonable parents and saw such a sign they would not allowed play in the shallow water and then possibly tragedy averted.

I'm not assuming that. I do think that most would heed the warnings with their children but that doesn't mean in this case that this tragedy could be averted if the sign was different. I have a 2.5 year old and 1 year old. Neither would have gone in the water because of the sign posted and I don't go into semantics of signage. No means no.

I'm just saying that there will still be those who go in the water, even after this very public story makes its rounds. There are those who don't think things will happen to them. Those that take signs and rules as suggestions. Those who will still let their kids stick their feet in the water because they are right there.

 

[Goofy_Disney_Dad]

 

[PantherPete]

The sign is no good. Is says "swim". It doesn't mention wading, walking, standing, sitting in, dipping toes in, splashing or playing in the water. It also says to stay off "rocks" what about boulders?

Dawn

You are being too literal. Do not swim clearly means "do not go in the water" and to suggest otherwise is disingenuous. Before my kids could swim, we would still refer to a day at the pool as "going swimming".

I'm not suggesting that the parents were negligent here, but I also do not believe Disney is negligent. This was a freak accident. A horribly tragic one. Can't we just leave it at that???

 

[fairytalelover]

well then how safe are the disney water parks?? Can't alligators slip into the lazy river and the pools there???

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

I'm not suggesting that the parents were negligent here, but I also do not believe Disney is negligent.

"Negligent" in a legal sense? Perhaps and perhaps not -- I'm not an attorney. I look at it as there being room for improvement in them notifying their guests of a potential danger. That seems a fair expectation, without going so far as to blame Disney. Disney -- like everyone and every company -- can learn and improve.

 

[Mitzicat]

Yahoo news just posted this statistic: There have been 23 fatalities caused by wild alligators in Florida since 1973.

Obviously this is a very very rare occurrence.

agree since in 2013 there were 23 shark attacks in Florida (per US and World News)