Real ALLIGATORS at Magic Kingdom?

[Wall-E1]

copy paste from Wikipedia

Alligators and humans
Alligators are capable of killing humans, but are generally wary enough not to see them as a potential prey. Alligator bites are serious injuries due to the risk of infection. Inadequate treatment or neglect of an alligator bite may result in an infection that necessitates amputation of a limb.[citation needed] The alligator's tail is a fearsome weapon capable of knocking a person down and breaking bones. Alligators are protective parents who will protect their young by attacking anything that comes too close or looks like it's aggressive and could kill one of the baby alligators.
Since 1948, there have been more than 275 unprovoked attacks on humans in Florida, of which at least 17 resulted in death.[17] There were only nine fatal attacks in the U.S. throughout the 70s, 80s, and 90s, but alligators killed 12 people from 2001 to 2007. In May 2006, alligators killed three Floridians in four days, two of them in the same day.[18]
Several Florida tourist attractions have taken advantage of fears and myths about alligators—as well as the reality of their danger—through a practice known as alligator wrestling. Created in the early 20th century by some members of the Miccosukee and Seminole Tribe of Florida, this tourism tradition continues to the present day.

That Wikipedia post really makes them seem scary. When they list unprovoked attacks, I don't think they mean that the alligators are just attacking people at random. They are probably talking about situations where people are unknowingly swimming near a nest or babies. With gators, you just need to be aware of where they are and use sound judgement. Be on the safe side. If you know they live in a pond or canal, don't swim in it. Another stat to consider is this. In the over sixty years that Everglades National Park has been in existence for, there has never been a fatal alligator attack within the park boundaries.

 

[dolphindan1]

Average Number of Deaths per Year in the U.S
Bee/Wasp53
Dogs 31
Spider 6.5
Rattlesnake 5.5
Mountain lion 1
Shark 1
Alligator 0.3
Bear 0.5
Scorpion 0.5
Centipede 0.5
Elephant 0.25
Wolf 0.1
Horse 20
Bull 3

 

[dolphindan1]

We did have a guy near hear on the same lake that I live who lost an arm...But I blame the human...sad part is they caught and killed the gator

guy was swimming in lilly pads in the spring during mating season and right next to a sign that said no swimming alligators in area...gator snapped off his arm...THEY KILLED THE GATOR

 

[lacrosse_lady72]

We were there Sept 18-Oct 2 and I overheard many CMs talking about the alligators around Tom Sawyer Island in numerous occasions to different people.

 

[dolphindan1]

We were there Sept 18-Oct 2 and I overheard many CMs talking about the alligators around Tom Sawyer Island in numerous occasions to different people.

Gators will walk a long way to find water...they are not strictly water animals...they lay eggs on land...anyway they are kinda territorial with other gators and gators that get pushed out will hunt there own body of water...also they will kill/eat smaller gators to protect there territory...

 

[airamerica]

I was at the Bike Barn, Fort wilderness last week fishing and 3ft alligator was in the lake area next to the swimming hole every day - it was more active in the afternoons.

In fact on one occasion, despite my best efforts it followed my line and I accidentally 'hooked' it. I immediately cut the line and reported the incident to the cast members in the Bike Barn, who'd been watching me fish all week.

According to them, this particular gator had been in this area for about the last month and wasn't considered a threat to anyone. You could hire a kayak from there and launch off from within 20ft of it!

Anyway, following the 'hooking' the cast member at the bike barn arranged for a member of management to come and see me as I continued fishing. The manager explained that they have a policy of leaving the gators alone unless they show aggressive behaviour at which time they are removed and taken to the south of the state. This prevents them returning to the location where they were a problem.

I asked about gators in the parks and the manager said they are removed to the nearest body of large water - as they aren't a threat, just slightly lost! he also said that in Bay Lake at the very eastern end there are gators in excess of 7ft, which are monitored by Disney animal control. This is also the reason why if you rent a Sea Racer from Fort Wilderness you can only get halfway towards the eastern edge of the lake, compared with a few years ago. Buoys now prevent you from going any further.

I also fish in this part of the lake and the following day (a week last Tuesday) I photographed an 8ft gator near the dam close to the 300 loop.

I have photos but don't know how to host them!

 

[DisneyNDecember]

I was at the Bike Barn, Fort wilderness last week fishing and 3ft alligator was in the lake area next to the swimming hole every day - it was more active in the afternoons.

In fact on one occasion, despite my best efforts it followed my line and I accidentally 'hooked' it. I immediately cut the line and reported the incident to the cast members in the Bike Barn, who'd been watching me fish all week.

According to them, this particular gator had been in this area for about the last month and wasn't considered a threat to anyone. You could hire a kayak from there and launch off from within 20ft of it!

Anyway, following the 'hooking' the cast member at the bike barn arranged for a member of management to come and see me as I continued fishing. The manager explained that they have a policy of leaving the gators alone unless they show aggressive behaviour at which time they are removed and taken to the south of the state. This prevents them returning to the location where they were a problem.

I asked about gators in the parks and the manager said they are removed to the nearest body of large water - as they aren't a threat, just slightly lost! he also said that in Bay Lake at the very eastern end there are gators in excess of 7ft, which are monitored by Disney animal control. This is also the reason why if you rent a Sea Racer from Fort Wilderness you can only get halfway towards the eastern edge of the lake, compared with a few years ago. Buoys now prevent you from going any further.

I also fish in this part of the lake and the following day (a week last Tuesday) I photographed an 8ft gator near the dam close to the 300 loop.

I have photos but don't know how to host them!

Wow, I would love to see those photos !! Go to the technical board & it will walk you thru how to post photos.

 

[listener 76]

So, as everyone sits on the beach, waiting for fireworks, all these little kids are running up and down the water's edge and wading (in the dark). Can the "gators" get them?? Should they stay away from the edge of the water?

 

[Simba's Mom]

Nobody believes me here when I say I saw one at Animal Kingdom...they all think it was an animatronic or one in an exhibit... But saw one from the bridge to Dinoland in AK--good sized too!

I believe you-I saw it there one evening also. I would have taken a picture of it, but it was too dark out for the picture to come out.

 

[DisneyHolidayFan]

I never heard that 'they were most dangerous around the water's edge', but I'll make a note of it now!

I have bear, moose, elk, deer, fox, coyotes, mountain lion where I live. The bear's been inside the house ($75,000 of damage), a moose peeked in the door the other day to say hi, the fox used to come play with one of my cats, the mountain lion took one of my cats and isn't welcome here anymore. I don't like the coyotes.

But no alligators, thank God. I always wondered if the reason they closed swimming at the 7 Seas Lagoon was more because of gators than bacteria...I loved swimming at the Poly beach!

I hate coyotes also. They now have invaded our town and I am terrified that I will come upon one when walking our little dog.

 

[Magical Mama]

We live in Daytona Beach, about an hour from the World, and we currently have at least on gator in our backyard. We live on a golf course and there is a lake in our backyard. The first time we spotted the gator was last week, now we just moved here this summer from Ohio so this is not something I am used to!!! I freaked out!!!! I was out back with DS3 and our puppy when I saw it. I rushed the little ones in the house and called Wildlife Control. They informed myself that "This is Florida, and lakes are where alligators live." I was basically informed that unless the gator is out of the water or seems threatening to humans, they do not mess with the gators. They also said that if they reach a size too large for residental areas they will come and relocate the gator. Now this one is about 10-12 feet large, so they are supposed to come out and get it. Hopefully sooner than later!

I guess my point is, that locals are not at all concerned with the alligators! The message all my neighbors gave me when I told them of the gator is the same I will pass on to you...

Welcome to Florida!

 

[Danemom]

Average Number of Deaths per Year in the U.S
Alligator 0.3
Centipede 0.5

Centipedes kill more people per year than alligators? That's crazy!

 

[Dsny4fun]

I saw an alligator at Coranado Springs in Aug 08...he didn't look to big...he was just swimming around in the lake by one of the bridges that you walk over.

 

[wehavesix]

This thread is funny! Florida isn't the only place with lots of gators. I live in Louisiana and have seen many alligators in my life. I was taught to be wary and respect their space but not to be too worried. We live in an area filled with lakes, bayous, rivers, and wetlands areas. I grew up swimming in the bayous and rivers around my home. Yes, there were gators in the water but we usually didn't ever see them. They are pretty shy animals and avoid human contact for the most part. I've never known of anyone in my 47 years who was attacked by a gator. I have known of a couple of cases where someone was accidentally hurt by an alligator. One was a young man who was checking his yo-yos (type of fishing) and found he had hooked a small alligator. Now I would have cut the line but this guy wanted his yo-yo so he tried to release the gator. In the process he got his hand bitten. The bite injury wasn't too bad but the bacteria introduced through the bite was a big concern so he ended up in the hospital. The other incident I personally know about was when some boys actually picked up a 4 foot long alligator from the side of the road and took it home. One of the boys got hurt when the alligator whacked him with it's tail. I would say both these examples were not the alligator's fault nor qualify as attacks.

Most of the time, an alligator will get to be a problem when it loses it's shyness and starts to get too used to human contact. Sometimes this happens because people either purposely or accidentally feed the alligator by either putting out food or dumping food scraps. The alligator hangs around for the easy food and gets bolder and bolder until finally someone's dog disappears. Then Wildlife and Fisheries gets a call and an alligator hunter comes out to either relocate or kill the alligator.

So, the thing is that alligators are not really a big threat to humans. They are dangerous and shouldn't be messed with but if you give them their space and never, ever feed them, you should be fine. Frankly, I'd be surprised if there WEREN'T alligators in the water in and around WDW.

 

[famgel]

Good One!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[stardebby]

I live in Florida and my DH always looks forward to seeing gators in the wild. So, maybe I can get him to go to Disney more if he can see alligators and Mickey Mouse.

 

[Toddler Mommy]

DD and I saw one at CBR Monday night. It looked to be about 5 feet long. A few other people were there and throwing crackers into the water for it. DD was pretty nervous the whole walk back to the room, but I was pretty excited to see it and DH was jealous he missed it (my reward for taking the looong trek to Old Port Royal to refill our mugs ).

 

[DisneyWalker44]

I know there are a bunch of folks in Louisiana right now who are terrified of Gators.

 

[maxiesmom]

I know there are a bunch of folks in Louisiana right now who are terrified of Gators.

LOVE THIS!!!!!

 

[KatMark]

I know there are a bunch of folks in Louisiana right now who are terrified of Gators.