Is there a purpose to all the water around disney world at this point?

[Planogirl]

I know it is a crazy question. I am sorry.

No, your question wasn't crazy at all. In fact your question makes sense. Other comments on this thread not so much though.

 

[Sparkly]

What is it about this attack that has made people absolutely loopy?! This is one of the craziest things I've ever read on the internet.

 

[P'colaBeachBum]

I know it is a crazy question. I am sorry.

Not a crazy question at all,you wanted to be informed.

 

[GPC0321]

I know it is a crazy question. I am sorry.

I thought it was a very good question! I'm sure the first thing I'd do if a gator crossed my path on dry land is let fly with a few explicit words that small children should not hear. Then, I'd slowly turn around and walk back the way I came and tell everyone I saw to do the same as I went in search of a CM to alert.

 

[mini22]

For those that don't believe that alligators can get in the parks.

 

[chicagogrl]

I guess I am loopy today. OF course I know to run but the fact that someone asked about gators being fast etc. Oh, well, I apologize.

 

[North of Mouse]

I first attended Disney World around 1985 or 1986. To remind me of what it was like then, I bought a 1986 guidebook online.
One thing I noticed is that back in the early days, they were using the water from their manmade lakes in a lot of ways:
-swimming
-Water skiing and other water sports
-the water was feeding the River Country water park
-the water was being used at the discovery island animal refuge (that closed when the Animal Kingdom opened up)
- and of course there was a lot of people on the beaches.
- the 20.000 Leagues ride used a small manmade lake for its subs.

It seems that today the water is just a backdrop and it really isn't used for much other than pretty backdrop to photos.
The water can't be used for a waterpark anymore. It rusts out the subs so no more 20000 Leagues or nemo subs rides. It really hasn't been used much for swimming in years. The recent tragedy surely will end any beach access either.
So why dont they just remove it and make the parking lot closer to the MK or put in some more rides or make the roads wider or do something with the space now? They really are not getting much productive use out of it for many years. The original design had that water serving many purposes but that doesn;t seem to be the case for quite a while now.

The lake was not just made for recreation - it was 'created' when the dirt was needed to build up the MK. That land is 'naturally' as flat as flat can be - so had to be built up to allow for the underground at MK, also drainage. If all the water areas were filled in, where would all the rain go??

 

[North of Mouse]

I've gotta think there's got to be some engineering solutions that could be made to both keep the gators and other dangerous vermin out of the lake and make it safe for swimming so the beaches are all viable again.

The problem is the WDW heads don't think on that scale or want to undergo that much effort (because it surely would have an environmental impact of some sort). They've got the money engine and they're just trying to figure out how to keep it going and speed it up.

You think so eh??? With more than 1.25 million gators in FL that can go around barricades and move many miles in a day, they can keep them from coming to their lakes - I think not!!

Just like I would love for all the deer that eat my plants to move far away - not happening - it's a constant fight between me and them! Whatever wild things that are native to a certain area will find a way to remain there - including my really dreaded nemesis - the snake!

 

[pa. dad]

The lake was not just made for recreation - it was 'created' when the dirt was needed to build up the MK. That land is 'naturally' as flat as flat can be - so had to be built up to allow for the underground at MK, also drainage. If all the water areas were filled in, where would all the rain go??

No the lake was created for recreation and much recreational use was seen in the early days.
South Florida- Miami, Miami Beach and Ft Lauderdale are if anything closer to the Everglades than Orlando and they do a good job of seperating people from gators. When one gets lost, they take the gator back to the Glades. They do not leave it be to wander around people to its heart's delight because it is Florida. They don;t claim its part of the ecosytem - they get rid of it. Gators do not belong free to wander about theme parks and resorts- sorry.
They have a huge chunk of the state where they are protected. Take them there.

 

[AFwifelife]

Are we getting punked?

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Move them to the Glades, make an AK exhibit, open up a cajun place with some gator recipes I don;t care but do whatever it takes to seperate gators from families. Splash Mt and the Cs resort are not a gators natural habitat.

Reality is that when you move a gator, they often make their way back to where they came from unless you kill them, or create a fully captive environment.

You can't just do some sort of Gator Reservation in Oklahoma and have it work.

And there are plenty of gators in Fort Lauderdale and Miami. Trust me on this.

 

[anneboleyn]

No the lake was created for recreation and much recreational use was seen in the early days.
South Florida- Miami, Miami Beach and Ft Lauderdale are if anything closer to the Everglades than Orlando and they do a good job of seperating people from gators. When one gets lost, they take the gator back to the Glades. They do not leave it be to wander around people to its heart's delight because it is Florida. They don;t claim its part of the ecosytem - they get rid of it. Gators do not belong free to wander about theme parks and resorts- sorry.
They have a huge chunk of the state where they are protected. Take them there.

Alligators have been there since Disney World first opened and have never been a problem. Everyone is just up in arms about them now because of an unfortunate incident. They have technically always been "wandering free"...it is just that people didn't seem to notice. Any alligator that seemed problematic due to size or whatever was removed. For the most part, they do not pose a threat to people.

Relocating animals from their natural habitats (and Disney World happened to be built in THEIR natural habitat) just because you want to use that area for "recreation" is ridiculous and kind of selfish.

 

[DWillowBay]

Here's the point.... there has been NO problem until now. Granted, this is a horrible catastrophe with no words that can comfort. However, again....it's not a 'water' problem, it's a horrible accident. New signs will go up and precautions taken and I can GUARANTEE you that someone will still go in that water. We pray for the family and extended family and friends. We do not diminish the issue. But alligators live in Florida. They start as tiny, tiny little critters...who grow over time. They can get through brush and through pipes, etc. It is a calculated risk we all take when we enter their domain.

 

[glassslippergirl]

Are we getting punked?

I've read this whole thread, and I'm pretty sure we are. It's pretty clear that pa dad (the original poster) went looking for some controversy. Around page 6, things started to cool down, and he stirred the pot again. While I've enjoyed hearing everyone and his brother telling this guy how wrong he is, I feel like pa dad is at home laughing at each new post.

 

[North of Mouse]

Move them to the Glades, make an AK exhibit, open up a cajun place with some gator recipes I don;t care but do whatever it takes to seperate gators from families. Splash Mt and the Cs resort are not a gators natural habitat.

Really? This is a poor joke, right? Obviously, you know very little about gators!! I am a south LA girl that grew up knowing to respect them in their habitat. They are 'very' mobile, and you 'cannot' pen them all in - they 'live' there, and don't know the boundaries for Disney World!!! They mostly stay around water, but can/will go from place to place whenever they want.

LOL P'colaBeachBum - not a FL native here, but our son did go to college there!

 

[pa. dad]

we ought to be able to do whatever it takes to protect small children and other visitors. PERIOD.
I make no apologies for that view. Lose the gators.
Please keep your ecosytem lectures and Joni Mitchell lyrics and insults to yourselves- I don;t care.

 

[DOOM1001]

No the lake was created for recreation and much recreational use was seen in the early days.
South Florida- Miami, Miami Beach and Ft Lauderdale are if anything closer to the Everglades than Orlando and they do a good job of seperating people from gators. When one gets lost, they take the gator back to the Glades. They do not leave it be to wander around people to its heart's delight because it is Florida. They don;t claim its part of the ecosytem - they get rid of it. Gators do not belong free to wander about theme parks and resorts- sorry.
They have a huge chunk of the state where they are protected. Take them there.

I live in south Florida and there are plenty of regular everyday places that people go where you see signs to beware of gators.I just saw one like a few days ago at a Davie,fl strip mall that had a canal right next to it.Its also become a normal thing to hear things like a gator was stopping traffic as it crossed a street,trust me they're all over the place!!

 

[North of Mouse]

Are we getting punked?

Yep, the troll is prowling - I'm out!

 

[revdon64]

I saw something today that gators have been spotted in SPLASH MT and frequently at the CS resort.
Of all the rides there, I can't think of any that I have been on more frequently than Splash Mt. And I have stayed at the CS resort.
You have a resort that is primarily designed for families and you have gators all over the place. HELLO? Sorry you guys don;t see a problem with that, I DO. There are plenty of miles for gators to happily live their lives in FL. A theme park resort should not be one of them.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is what a troll looks like. I know you thought you knew them from Pre-Arendelle Norway, but this is the true troll

Right, fill in the lakes, make them a parking lot, relocate all the gators. If you're referring to the video that was just on inside edition, that's from 2009, and the CM was keeping the gator out of Splash Mountain... with the handle of a pool net. The gator was maybe three feet long. I took pictures of a bigger one in the water next to the riverboat in December. Gators don't normally attack people because they don't normally see us as food. But let's punish everyone with something crazy like draining the lake because one gator grabbed a kid in its habitat. By this logic we should burn down all the rainforests because that gorilla attacked a kid in its enclosure. This is the most ridiculous thing I've read this year, and I've read a lot of Donald Trump quotes. Maybe you should reconsider using the internet, you know, ever.

 

[revdon64]

I'm pretty sure that Disney doesn't put them there on purpose. This guy was just hanging out by the bridge across from Liberty Tree Tavern in December.