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

[TARAMEOW]

I can't even pretend to know what I would do if I was in this situation. I'm feeling so broken for this family. What a nightmare.

 

[mousefan73]

This is just horrible. I cannot imagine and feel so bad for that poor child and parents.

What blows my mind is how many here never really thought, believed, knew Alligators are at Disney. Maybe I' m paranoid but alligators, snakes are always on my mind. Ex I never could fathom how people camp at disney ( central FL) near water. Also I always felt the resorts with beaches "deluxed" were a joke. You couldn't pay me to be on those beaches. I'm scared enough walking back to my room at POR at night. I take the direct route, always tell my kids "stay off the grass, away from ponds!!"

I'm maybe I'm other extreme from not knowing to being paranoid. Our trip is in 2 months. This will now live in my head. Not looking forward to my dreams now.

 

[KT0191]

People don't realize how fast gators are. You see them slowly swimming in the water or slowly walking on land but in reality, they can reach up to 35 mph on peak land in short spurts and they can strike in literally a split of a second while in the water.
All we can do now is keep this family in our thoughts. My stomach is in knots over this. I have a 2 year old boy myself and just picturing this in my head makes me want to puke. I will always think of this sweet baby when I see that lagoon now.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

This is just horrible. I cannot imagine and feel so bad for that poor child and parents.

What blows my mind is how many here never really thought, believed, knew Alligators are at Disney. Maybe I' m paranoid but alligators, snakes are always on my mind. Ex I never could fathom how people camp at disney ( central FL) near water. Also I always felt the resorts with beaches "deluxed" were a joke. You couldn't pay me to be on those beaches. I'm scared enough walking back to my room at POR at night. I take the direct route, always tell my kids "stay off the grass, away from ponds!!"

I'm maybe I'm other extreme from not knowing to being paranoid. Our trip is in 2 months. This will now live in my head. Not looking forward to my dreams now.

I do think you are safe on the beach without question.
A gator attacked in Florida. No different than a shark on the beach or a bear in the NW.
Not to be insensitive to the situation mind you.... Just speaking realistically.

MG

 

[Tara8595]

So so unbelievably sad and heart-wrenching. Gators are all over property - we look for them every time we go. Places I've seen them: in the canals behind Yacht & Beach, in hourglass lake behind Pop Century, in the 'moat' around the castle, in the 'river' around Tom Sawyer Island, in the canal between MK and GF (viewed from monorail), in retention ponds in the cloverleaf traffic circle near Swan & Dolphin, in the river around Tree of Life at AK. A friend works at AK and they had to shoo a fairly large one off the parking lot one night. So yeah - just making the point that they are everywhere - everywhere there is water, there are gators. Such a sad sad tragedy for this to have happened though. I wonder what Disney's reaction will be.... will they post more signs? Put up a barrier? Raise the sand and put in a concrete berm? I'd think they will have to have a big response to this.

 

[ashnicole]

This is extremely sad and I am praying for the family and any who may have witnessed this. I was at the Poly tonight watching Wishes. I saw the helicopter circling but figured Disney would have told us if there was anything for us to be concerned about. There were officers on the beach and it looked like search boats. The helicopter was still circling the area around 10:45 or 11:00. On the monorail back to TTC we saw several security cars in a parking lot by the Grand.
I thank those who have posted advice about gators. Thank you for making us informed so we can all stay safe.

 

[Dis703]

This is just horrible. I cannot imagine and feel so bad for that poor child and parents.

What blows my mind is how many here never really thought, believed, knew Alligators are at Disney. Maybe I' m paranoid but alligators, snakes are always on my mind. Ex I never could fathom how people camp at disney ( central FL) near water. Also I always felt the resorts with beaches "deluxed" were a joke. You couldn't pay me to be on those beaches. I'm scared enough walking back to my room at POR at night. I take the direct route, always tell my kids "stay off the grass, away from ponds!!"

I'm maybe I'm other extreme from not knowing to being paranoid. Our trip is in 2 months. This will now live in my head. Not looking forward to my dreams now.

Really if you stay out of the water you should be fine. This child was apparently playing in the water at the edge of the lagoon. Most attacks happen when you enter the water. We grew up playing all around a small lake with at least 2-3 gators at all times. It was never a concern to parents or kids as long as we stayed away from the water. The playground was nearby and trees along the edge we would climb. It's awful and tragic, but obviously millions of people visit the parks every year and more visit and live in Florida as a whole with few incidents overall.

 

[mousefan73]

Don't take Pete Werner's advice "stay out of the damn lakes" too lightly.

 

[4leobeans]

What a heartbreaking tragedy.

I live in a town with a high population of bears....although bears are obviously predators, they generally leave people alone. We are not scared to walk around, you just have to be aware of the risk.
I really wouldn't have thought of gators as a huge risk to my kids, but I also wasn't aware of how frequently they're seen on property.

I have a two year old myself, and feel physically ill thinking about this. I cannot imagine what this family must be going through. My heart weeps for them. I dont even know how you would begin to process this as a parent......

 

[Evoga]

What a tragedy. So sorry for the family. I also would never even think about alligators while at grand Floridian even though it's swampland.

And speaking of bears, wasn't a bear seen at fort wilderness in the past too?

 

[anneboleyn]

To Floridians maybe. Did you know that we get scorpions and bats in buildings and homes in Austin? Everyone here knows it.

I am from PA and knew that Florida had alligators. I also thought everyone knew that scorpions were a problem in Texas too lol

I am surprised at how many people don't realize how dangerous they are. They are ambush predators.

It is definitely a heartbreaking situation.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

What a tragedy. So sorry for the family. I also would never even think about alligators while at grand Floridian even though it's swampland.

And speaking of bears, wasn't a bear seen at fort wilderness in the past too?

That would be interesting.... I'm not an expert, but I've never associated Florida with bears. Unless you're taking about the Territory Lounge.

MG

 

[michellekcm]

How awfully sad - I just can't imagine, that poor family. I sat on that beach watching a movie just over a year ago, so it hits close to home.

I had seen the signs saying stay out of the water, but I assumed it was for bacterial reasons. Being from Australia I know that Florida has alligators, but I also didn't think Disney would. Clearly I just believed in that Disney bubble!

Our signs up north here tend to say something like "stay out of the water, crocodiles here," so everyone knows why...and stay away. I think crocodiles are more aggressive than alligators, although that just could be because I hear news reports about crocodiles and not about alligators.

Thinking of that poor family...and all the poor first responders in Orlando who have had an absolutely horrific week.

 

[mousefan73]

I just got into work and went straight to a colleague who is also going soon to WDW.. He is from China orginally. He was like "what?!, there are Alligators there.. all shocked. ... Many, especially foreigners assume that Alligators in Florida are exclusive to the Everglades. I can see this.. because if you go online, usually Alligators and Everglades are always presented Hand in Hand.

 

[Jon84]

Being from the UK we pretty much have nothing nasty to keep an eye out for on our coastlines.

Florida is famous for its wetlands, swamps, the Everglades. And most importantly alligators!, that's why they have Gatorland.

Going in any body of water that isn't a pool that you can see is clear, is naive.

This is a very sad accident, but they shouldn't have been wading in a foot of water.

If you look at google maps, there is plenty of access for gators at all WDW lakes

 

[trainingupmy4princes]

I

This is just horribly sad. I'm reminded of a tragedy not even a year ago in Anaheim, when a 3 year old got out of her hotel room while mom was showering, and fell off the inside balcony of an Embassy Suites near Disneyland. It's all just unthinkable.




As others have said, there's no "not allowing" them.

And I'm officially really weirded out by all the people who didn't realize that this was a possibility.

WDW was literally built in a swamp. Everything that comes with swamps should be expected there.



Exactly.




Honestly, that's the first sort of thing I thought of (wondering if it was *just* the parents reporting it) (wondered it just before thinking about the child in Anaheim last July). But I was in South Carolina during the Susan Smith tragedy, and remember very well what it was like for a parent to lie straight to the police and news cameras, when she had done it. I'm a bit jaded after that.



Unlikely. Might as well just sue nature. And sue the people who sit on the edges of water at night in a swamp.



FWIW I wouldn't have scoffed at the existence of the alligator, but that it was showing itself so obviously.

But I might owe my son an apology, because he has said a couple times that he saw them, and I didn't believe him. (again, I believe that they are there and that they exist, but I didn't believe that he saw them)

I remember the DL incident, it was so sad.

 

[Disneyliscious]

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....

 

[DVCcurious]

"A minor scratch"

Just sayin'... I would probably fight to my death.

MG

How many alligators have you tried to grab when they're in water?


I've never done it, but considering I can't even grab my dog when we're "play wrestling" and she's trying to avoid being tackled I'm going to assume I'd never get my hands on a real-life alligator who was in "attack/defense mode". I'm sure the parents did everything they could. The alligator crept slowly and quietly toward the child, then jumped up and snapped him with his jaws and started to drag him under. That's what they do: they grab prey, drag it under water, and start "spinning" the prey. The gator turns rapidily over and over spinning the prey until it drowns. It's not like this alligator would grab the boy and then stand there giving the parents time to get in the water with it. The parents wouldn't even react until the child screamed out. Then they have to get in the water and grab the animal? The wet animal who is in it's home environment, the animal who's in the natural process of killing prey which means dragging the prey under the water as quickly as possible after grabbing it, the animal who is built to not be grabbed, the human who's never ever considered grabbing a real alligator before? This is not Crocodile Dundee here, this is a real man and woman who've probably never seen a real alligator before.

If it was my child I wouldn't want people speculating I didn't do everything I could just because I didn't lose an arm.

 

[Nancyg56]

There are signs. It says to stay out of the water.

I cannot tell you hw many times I see kids playing in the water while Mom and Dad watch, and in sight of the sign. I just do not understand.

Stay out of the water should be clear to "stay out of water". It's posted for a good reason. What do people think, it's for the lightning bugs?

MG

You cannot make it up. I see kids in the water and wonder what are the agents thinking? This is Florida, there are critters all over, and they are not all friendly.

THis morning my DH showed me the news and I told him they child had to have been in the water, and sadly, that was the case.

Victim was a 2 year old boy who was wading in the water at the time of the attack. Officers say the parents went into the water to get the child but were unsuccessful. The father was apparently near by and the child was "a foot or so" in the water.

ETA this is from someone tweeting directly from the press conference.

My heat is breaking for this family, I cannot imagine this happening under any circumstances. I think that people stop thinking about wildlife when they fee they are in any protected little bubble. We live in an area that is being developed, but my little neighborhood is well wooded. I hve never let my little DGD play in the yard unsupervised, have not fed the birds in over 10 years, and do not leave any trash open or hanging out of the bins. We have known for years that we have bears, Bobcats and mountain lions wandering around, and it is common knowledge, but lately, every bear sighting is posted all over social media like they just appeared, and just about every one is raiding a bid feeder. Please stop inventing them to dinner...... But no. They want the bear removed.

 

[Nancyg56]

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....

I have an issue with lawsuits that occur when people disregard the rules in place. You ae asked to stay out of the water. You do not. You get hurt. You win money. There is something terribly wrong with that, IMO.

I am not trying to minimize this tragedy, but honestly I cannot count how many times people see signs and think they are just for show. I have told parents to get the kids out of the water, there ae alligators in there, and I am ignored.