Two Alligators Involved

[ForeverAlice]

I may be wrong- but wouldn't the father still be in shock at the time he spoke with the doctor and could very well be mistaken just due to that- and that it was getting dark at the time of the attack or possibly he was confused just from the chaos of the whole ordeal?
The two gators story is surprising to me as well but considering all he went through he could have thought there were two- So sad.

 

[Accident]

I may be wrong- but wouldn't the father still be in shock at the time he spoke with the doctor and could very well be mistaken just due to that- and that it was getting dark at the time of the attack or possibly he was confused just from the chaos of the whole ordeal?
The two gators story is surprising to me as well but considering all he went through he could have thought there were two- So sad.

agree'd.. I'm sure that dad was in the water as deep as he could and the same gator probably popped up to the side or something making it look like a second.. or just hit him with his tail when it turned to get away faster. the gator should have rolled once it was in the water and probably rolled to the side and you can't see into that water well.

 

[ParkHoppers]

Two gators lurking in the same spot makes me wonder how much the feeding problem at GF was out of control.

There is no fix for stupid ... yesterday I saw a family of idiots feeding seagulls on a public swimming beach. I.e. a main source of bacteria and infections.

I agree that feeding of the Gators was probably a growing problem. A lot of videos that have surfaced of other gators in the parks show the gator swimming quite fast on the surface over to the people filming. This is more the behavior of a gator that has been fed by people and is expecting another free meal. In nature a gator hunting for prey will usually do it by staying slow and low near the bottom until it attacks.

 

[GPC0321]

Interesting.
I Googled "2 Alligators" to see if this breaking detail came up, and this came up:
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/05/3...ligators-eating-human-body-in-everglades.html
I hadn't heard about this, and it's from May 31 of this year, so not long ago. The point...two alligators sharing the meal.
So, with this and the link the other poster posted about gators and crocs working together to hunt, it's surely believable that there could have been a second alligator close by or involved.

What I don't understand is why this information wasn't released from the start? I just re-watched the press release from when they found the body, and the guy from FWC says, "We're going to make certain that we have the alligator that was involved.....We'll continue to look for an alligator until we find the right one."

Never was there any indication that there were two alligators involved in the attack. Never was it indicated that the father was injured by a second alligator while fighting the first to recover his son.

It just seems odd to have eliminated that rather important detail and only be releasing it now.

 

[Allison]

He should kept with his original story since gators don't hunt in groups since they are anti - social. They don't organize like wolves, dogs or lions.

Original story? He didn't just say this. It was shared in an email by the authorities the next morning.

 

[GPC0321]

Original story? He didn't just say this. It was shared in an email by the authorities the next morning.

But why was this pretty important detail left out of the press conferences and releases? They repeatedly referred to "the one" and "the gator involved". We never heard about a second gator. Until now. It's just curious that they felt that was a detail that could be omitted. Seems pretty significant.

 

[HopperFan]

The whole thing happened in probably less than 30 seconds, the poor man was fighting for his son and am sure traumatized beyond reason.

All "witness reports" were one. The man had minimal cuts which even led some to not believe him at all. No one wants to think you could not have pulled your child, am sure his brain kicked in during that conversation convincing him there must have been two, it would be easier to accept the defeat.

Authorities never said two, even with info so I imagine they felt based on witnesses and his minimal injuries that there was one. Had there been two in all likely with the frenzy happening, the second one would have pulled him in as well.

Regarding the lawyer in CA story I call bunk and he's getting his 15 minutes of fame off this families trauma. LAWYER is so shocked, so distressed that he goes home and never writes a lawyer letter or demand Disney address him. Now he has time to talk to all the national media..... And his story has changed a few times. Time for him to let it go.

 

[Allison]

But why was this pretty important detail left out of the press conferences and releases? They repeatedly referred to "the one" and "the gator involved". We never heard about a second gator. Until now. It's just curious that they felt that was a detail that could be omitted. Seems pretty significant.

No idea but that has nothing to do with the father.

 

[mshanson3121]

Interesting.
I Googled "2 Alligators" to see if this breaking detail came up, and this came up:
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/05/3...ligators-eating-human-body-in-everglades.html
I hadn't heard about this, and it's from May 31 of this year, so not long ago. The point...two alligators sharing the meal.
So, with this and the link the other poster posted about gators and crocs working together to hunt, it's surely believable that there could have been a second alligator close by or involved.

What I don't understand is why this information wasn't released from the start? I just re-watched the press release from when they found the body, and the guy from FWC says, "We're going to make certain that we have the alligator that was involved.....We'll continue to look for an alligator until we find the right one."

Never was there any indication that there were two alligators involved in the attack. Never was it indicated that the father was injured by a second alligator while fighting the first to recover his son.

It just seems odd to have eliminated that rather important detail and only be releasing it now.

But why was this pretty important detail left out of the press conferences and releases? They repeatedly referred to "the one" and "the gator involved". We never heard about a second gator. Until now. It's just curious that they felt that was a detail that could be omitted. Seems pretty significant.

Likely because it was only one gator that attacked the child, and their focus was on the likely-dead child, not the dad who had a couple cuts.

 

[DisneyPigFan]

Public records eventually have to come out, but they do delay them sometimes. They probably delayed the release due to sensitivity to the family. Probably media outlets submitted records requests and they couldn't delay it any further.

If you read that article -- it says that the father DID NOT tell the police that about two alligators. It's something he allegedly mentioned to someone in the fire department, not the to police.. He relayed those comments to his supervisors, who then forwarded them to police.

1 witness did mention something about a second gator to police though, according to that article.

 

[LaidBackDad]

Interesting.
I Googled "2 Alligators" to see if this breaking detail came up, and this came up:
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/05/3...ligators-eating-human-body-in-everglades.html
I hadn't heard about this, and it's from May 31 of this year, so not long ago. The point...two alligators sharing the meal.
So, with this and the link the other poster posted about gators and crocs working together to hunt, it's surely believable that there could have been a second alligator close by or involved.

What I don't understand is why this information wasn't released from the start? I just re-watched the press release from when they found the body, and the guy from FWC says, "We're going to make certain that we have the alligator that was involved.....We'll continue to look for an alligator until we find the right one."

Never was there any indication that there were two alligators involved in the attack. Never was it indicated that the father was injured by a second alligator while fighting the first to recover his son.

It just seems odd to have eliminated that rather important detail and only be releasing it now.

I just need to point out that it is not odd at all that this information wasn't released until now and certainly not immediately. In fact, I would say it's standard operating procedure to not release this kind of information. The last thing authorities want to do is spread false or misleading information during a crisis or in the time immediately after a crisis happened. I for one believe the story to be true; but, statements from a father who was still in shock are not reliable and would never be released to the media until they could be confirmed by authorities. I'm also not really sure why it's significant whether it was 1 or 2 gators. If it was 2 gators it doesn't change the enormity of the tragedy or change any precautions taken in the future. Other than the news media's morbid curiosity for details, there was no reason for this information to be released to the public at all.

 

[GPC0321]

I just need to point out that it is not odd at all that this information wasn't released until now and certainly not immediately. In fact, I would say it's standard operating procedure to not release this kind of information. The last thing authorities want to do is spread false or misleading information during a crisis or in the time immediately after a crisis happened. I for one believe the story to be true; but, statements from a father who was still in shock are not reliable and would never be released to the media until they could be confirmed by authorities. I'm also not really sure why it's significant whether it was 1 or 2 gators. If it was 2 gators it doesn't change the enormity of the tragedy or change any precautions taken in the future. Other than the news media's morbid curiosity for details, there was no reason for this information to be released to the public at all.

It just seems like such a basic detail. The way the incident was originally reported there was one gator, and the father fought with THAT gator to try and free his son and sustained his injuries from that gator. Now, weeks later, finding out that the father's injuries were sustained by a second gator that attacked him while he was trying to reclaim his son from the first gator...just seems like a big part of the equation that was left out. Apparently the father's story about the second gator is now deemed reliable when it wasn't before? How else could it be confirmed. My understanding is there were no witnesses. What about the mother? Wasn't she nearby and didn't she enter the water as well when this happened? Was she the one that confirmed the second gator?

My curiosity about it isn't morbid. In a case like this, I think having the facts and details helps people learn from the incident and hopefully prevent it from happening again. Knowing that two gators might be in close proximity and could actually cooperate while hunting or attacking for whatever reason, is information that is valuable to the public. I realize it's too much to expect the father to give a blow-by-blow of what happened, and the fact that it was dark and happened very quickly and had to be disorienting and terrifying doesn't help. But I wonder about things like how the gator attacked. Was it in deeper water and rushed ashore to grab the child? Was it mistakenly stepped on or kicked (easy to believe in the darkness) and lashed out? We don't know, and the unknown is what fuels speculation, rumor, and fear.

 

[saskdw]

The whole thing happened in probably less than 30 seconds, the poor man was fighting for his son and am sure traumatized beyond reason.

All "witness reports" were one. The man had minimal cuts which even led some to not believe him at all. No one wants to think you could not have pulled your child, am sure his brain kicked in during that conversation convincing him there must have been two, it would be easier to accept the defeat.

Authorities never said two, even with info so I imagine they felt based on witnesses and his minimal injuries that there was one. Had there been two in all likely with the frenzy happening, the second one would have pulled him in as well.

Regarding the lawyer in CA story I call bunk and he's getting his 15 minutes of fame off this families trauma. LAWYER is so shocked, so distressed that he goes home and never writes a lawyer letter or demand Disney address him. Now he has time to talk to all the national media..... And his story has changed a few times. Time for him to let it go.

Your comments really sum it up. As a father this man needs to feel like he did everything humanly possible to save his child in order to have any chance at making peace with what happened. It was dark, the water was dark, he was fighting for his son's life, under those circumstances in the dark one gator could have seemed like 3.

 

[Uncleromulus]

It just seems like such a basic detail. The way the incident was originally reported there was one gator, and the father fought with THAT gator to try and free his son and sustained his injuries from that gator. Now, weeks later, finding out that the father's injuries were sustained by a second gator that attacked him while he was trying to reclaim his son from the first gator...just seems like a big part of the equation that was left out. Apparently the father's story about the second gator is now deemed reliable when it wasn't before? How else could it be confirmed. My understanding is there were no witnesses. What about the mother? Wasn't she nearby and didn't she enter the water as well when this happened? Was she the one that confirmed the second gator?

My curiosity about it isn't morbid. In a case like this, I think having the facts and details helps people learn from the incident and hopefully prevent it from happening again. Knowing that two gators might be in close proximity and could actually cooperate while hunting or attacking for whatever reason, is information that is valuable to the public. I realize it's too much to expect the father to give a blow-by-blow of what happened, and the fact that it was dark and happened very quickly and had to be disorienting and terrifying doesn't help. But I wonder about things like how the gator attacked. Was it in deeper water and rushed ashore to grab the child? Was it mistakenly stepped on or kicked (easy to believe in the darkness) and lashed out? We don't know, and the unknown is what fuels speculation, rumor, and fear.

From all I have read the gator did NOT "rush ashore"--the child was in the water, and at or near dark. Both big mistakes.

 

[GPC0321]

From all I have read the gator did NOT "rush ashore"--the child was in the water, and at or near dark. Both big mistakes.

I should have said "rushed from deeper water up to the shallows". In other words, were the gators already there and the people stumbled (perhaps literally) across them? Or were the gators farther away and rushed in to attack?

I know it doesn't change the outcome, but understanding the gators' behavior is helpful to educating people about the risks and preventing further tragedies like this. And adding a second gator to the mix does bring up questions about their habits and what may have prompted the attack(s).

 

[BigRed321]

I hate that the child got killed.. But everyone knows the no swimming signs were there for a reason..

I seriously doubt there was a second alligator that attacked the father.. If there was a second gator, it would have probably been larger..and the father would have had more than a few scratches..

 

[ParkHoppers]

I hate that the child got killed.. But everyone knows the no swimming signs were there for a reason..

I seriously doubt there was a second alligator that attacked the father.. If there was a second gator, it would have probably been larger..and the father would have had more than a few scratches..

Everyone knows the no swimming signs were there for a reason and EVERYONE also knows those signs were vague about why not to go swimming for another reason. As to not scare Disney guest and possible affect people not wanting to use these beaches. That could hurt the appeal of these high priced resorts and profits. To me the number of gators involved in this attack is not important. The outcome of the attack is all that matters. You are not going to convince me that this poor family would have let their children anywhere near that water had there been beware of gators signs already in place. That's just not very believable to me.

 

[saskdw]

Everyone knows the no swimming signs were there for a reason and EVERYONE also knows those signs were vague about why not to go swimming for another reason. As to not scare Disney guest and possible affect people not wanting to use these beaches. That could hurt the appeal of these high priced resorts and profits. To me the number of gators involved in this attack is not important. The outcome of the attack is all that matters. You are not going to convince me that this poor family would have let their children anywhere near that water had there been beware of gators signs already in place. That's just not very believable to me.

I disagree.

I watch people ignore signs everyday. A lot of people just don't pay much attention to their surroundings, other people's personal space, how there actions are impacting those around them, and some just don't care enough to read signs. Lot's of others just have the attitude that the sign/rules don't apply to them. The fences may help a little, but a more detailed sign won't make a difference.

There will also be lot's of visitors to WDW who aren't even aware of this incident.

 

[DebbieB]

Just two weeks later when the whole incident isn't the front page of the news anymore

Exactly. The newspaper needed something for a slow news day, they started poking around the official reports. What does it matter? The child is dead and buried.

 

[ParkHoppers]

I disagree.

I watch people ignore signs everyday. A lot of people just don't pay much attention to their surroundings, other people's personal space, how there actions are impacting those around them, and some just don't care enough to read signs. Lot's of others just have the attitude that the sign/rules don't apply to them. The fences may help a little, but a more detailed sign won't make a difference.

There will also be lot's of visitors to WDW who aren't even aware of this incident.

I watch people ignore signs everyday also. But you don't really believe all signs hold equal weight. Right? Two signs that MOST people throughout the world tend to pay attention to is a beware of sharks and beware of gators. Stating that is even on the same planet as a stay off grass sign or other non life threatening signs is more than a stretch.