Please Be Aware of the Dangers of Gators in Disney World waters.

[southerngirl528]

apparently Disney was doing nothing about gators. (there were 6? in the seven seas lagoon?

As other posters have mentioned, Disney IS very proactive about watching for gators, especially those over 3-4 ft long. I mentioned this in other posts, but I live super close to WDW, close enough to hear the fireworks every night, and visit WDW property very often for dining, the parks, golf, shopping, you name it. I've been a DVC member for over 2 decades so that takes me to events and stays as well. I have only seen one gator on WDW property in the last 2 years. Do I believe that was the ONLY one there? No way. I live here and understand how far these prehistoric beasts travel sometimes. And there is so much conservation land on WDW property that has never been touched. If one has ever flown into Orlando and looked down over FL, they can readily see that FL is dotted with bodies of water, like fine Swiss cheese. Water is never far away. And where there's water, there are gators.

Over the years I have watched the patrol boats at WDW. One would not have to sit near any of the Disney lakes/bays for more than a few minutes before seeing a Disney CM operated boat just patrolling for a variety of reasons. Watching for gators is one of those reasons. Gator removal is commonplace here in FL as gators are very plentiful. It is not entirely rare for one to be in a home swimming pool either.

 

[crisi]

Last September we golfed for the first time at WDW and were told DO NOT go looking for a ball if it may even be near shrubs. I have heard of people stepping on snakes walking through the grass. Been on balconies and have seen snakes in the landscaping below....this is why I always request an upper floor.

I know WDW is built on swampland and it's natural to have these animals be around but after this they will have to redouble efforts to keep the alligators out of the waterways and lakes.

Here in Minnesota when you golf you can go wading for your ball. You tramp through the woods - usually getting dozens of other balls in the process (though check yourself for ticks, and you might get a few mosquito bites). You can leave a golf course with more balls than you started with easily.

Golfing in the South - just bring a lot of extras.

 

[chalee94]

So, someone who knows alligators needs to explain just exactly what is stopping them from coming onto the beach?

they are scared of people, generally.

they stop being scared when people feed them, as their tiny brains connect people = food. then they are more likely to approach people.

most likely in this situation, the gator confused the splashing child with some other small prey (a dog or raccoon).

there was a man interviewed on tv who stayed at CBR many years ago who thought gators were after his child - though they never acted aggressively, so they could have merely been hoping for food to be tossed their way - based on the actions of idiots who came before...

 

[tink'smom2B]

So as long as our two year old granddaughter stays out of the woods and water, she should be safe. Correct?

 

[DizBub]

So as long as our two year old granddaughter stays out of the woods and water, she should be safe. Correct?

I certainly hope so....we are leaving in 6 days for a trip that includes a 21 month old granddaughter. I have been hinting broadly about getting the kid a leash/harness because she is so active and headstrong. After this happened her dad (a pediatrician) said maybe they should get that leash.

 

[crisi]

So as long as our two year old granddaughter stays out of the woods and water, she should be safe. Correct?

More than the woods - don't let her poke around in plantings or bushes. Stay on the path. Don't let her climb railings and balconies (the number of bumped heads I've seen from kids treating railings as jungle gyms - someday the headline is going to be "kid breaks neck and dies" because they were doing gymnastics on the railing.) Don't let her stand on chairs on balconies (they aren't sturdy or stable). Don't "cheat" on height restrictions.

And then she still won't be safe - its a big wide world out there. She could get whooping cough from an unvaccinated kid, or get Zika from a mosquito. You could leave her in the bath for 45 seconds and she could drown. You could discover a bee sting allergy if she gets stung.

Disney is 50 square miles of reclaimed swamp - much of it left natural. No amount of Disney magic can keep a snake out of a planter. But it can't keep your car from getting t-boned at an intersection either.

 

[Olaf]

Actually, an 8 year-old boy was attacked by an alligator on dry ground in Fort Wilderness in 1986. This isn't the first time an attack has occurred. This is just the first death. A big difference, as Disney definitely knew that the danger was there...

I'd lay odds that that gator at Fort Wilderness had been fed by guests and cast members.

I suspect we're going to see big changes with regard to the wild life at Disney. Most of us, who visit Disney often, have been attacked by the seagulls while trying to eat at Tom Sawyer's Island. They ought to use this horrible event as an impetus for educating the public about feeding any wild animal.

 

[beccasmom]

We waded in the beach along the Contemporary Beach back in the 80's. It was permitted; there was a rope boundary and I pretty much just dipped my toes in. It's hard for me to believe that now.

My deepest condolences to the family of this child. I am heartsick for them.

 

[wildernessDad]

Definitely do not feed the alligators. All of the alligators who have associated humans for food, and are likely to come close, need to be removed and turned into belts, handbags or luggage.

 

[pmaurer74]

I'd lay odds that that gator at Fort Wilderness had been fed by guests and cast members.

I suspect we're going to see big changes with regard to the wild life at Disney. Most of us, who visit Disney often, have been attacked by the seagulls while trying to eat at Tom Sawyer's Island. They ought to use this horrible event as an impetus for educating the public about feeding any wild animal.

I saw people feeding the ducks and birds and squirrels a few weeks ago.

 

[hakepb]

I've often seen those water patrol boats out on Disney waterways, racing across the water not too far from shore, then slowing down to a stop. There was no emergency situation that I could see from my vantage point. Then they turn and race off in another direction. Whenever I see this, I wonder if they do it to annoy any gators that might be in the area, to try to keep them away from guest areas. Anybody know?

I always thought they raced to the other side of the large Ferry boat pathway to prevent any small, guest operated boats from getting smashed by the ferry.

 

[LisaS]

I always thought they raced to the other side of the large Ferry boat pathway to prevent any small, guest operated boats from getting smashed by the ferry.

I'm sure they do that too but I've seen this particular maneuver (racing along, then stopping, turning, racing off again) being done in areas where there were no other boats of any size. That was the case as well when I was watching one of those boats on our most recent trip and what got me curious about it. And now that I think about it, the maneuver I described was happening right along the beach at the GF. I was watching from the balcony of a lake view room at the VGF. It was also the middle of the day and after reading recently that alligators are most active at night, it seems unlikely that it's alligator related.

 

[LisaS]

I saw people feeding the ducks and birds and squirrels a few weeks ago.

Somewhere I read/heard that the boy who was attacked at FW was feeding the ducks at the time. He said he didn't know if the alligator was going after him or one of the ducks but he ended up getting knocked down at which point the gator grabbed his leg.