Where have all the salamanders gone?

[MickaMaizie]

I am a Certified Disney Nut. In my senior year, I did a thesis on Walt Disney. My husband and I spent our honeymoon there and have since had 2 beautiful daughters that we take annually to Disneyworld to enjoy the magic.
We are from Michigan and we love the animal world so naturally, part of the fun of our trip is spotting the salamanders/lizards that thrive in Florida's climate. We just returned from the Polynesian resort and saw ZERO little lizards on the walkways. Out of curiosity, I asked one of the cast members working at Captain Cook's why we weren't seeing any. She replied that children were trying to catch them and would get bitten so Disney sprayed and killed them all off.
We did not see a single lizard at Polynesian resort, nor any of the four parks, nor Downtown Disney. I didn't want to believe it, but she must have been correct.
I was shocked, saddened, disappointed, and incensed that Disney would have such little respect for these harmless creatures. This act of cruelty is the epitome of irony for a corporation that built it's foundation on a MOUSE and continues its success from animating various animals, birds, and insects.
Also, it is no surprise that the number of insect bites received is inversely proportional to the killing of the "sallies" as we had affectionately called them. I had 5 insect bites during my stay and in years past, only one or none. Coincidence? I do not believe so.
I am dismayed that a beloved institution would commit horrific mass killings to avoid a potential lawsuit (idiots suing Disney because a lizard bite happened on their property).
What next? The birds because they pooped on someones head? Stop killing the very things that Disney built its' magic upon.

 

[TDC Nala]

I don't believe it. There were about a bazillion of them at Old Key West a couple of weeks ago.

I don't think they're salamanders. I believe they're called anoles. Maybe you could call them "annies."

 

[minnie61650]

Those little lizards trive in sandy sunny areas.
Walkways and the theme parks are not the best areas to see them.

You would have a better chance of seeing them along some of the trails at Ft. Wildness or near a beach area.

Unless it is really warm and sunny out they will stay in hiding.

Hope you see some on your next visit.

 

[tink_lover]

ummmmmmmm......we saw about a bazillion when we were there about 6 weeks ago at the Poly.....

 

[Feralpeg]

Maybe they all moved to my house. I've got a ton of them.

 

[Lynne M]

That CM was just messin' with you. i cannot even imagine what sort of poison they would need to spray to kill all the lizards on property, it would have to be incredibly toxic and would be hazardous to humans as well. Ridiculous.

 

[maj42169]

Maybe they all moved to my house. I've got a ton of them.

ewwww.........I don't miss them at all. Sure, they are cute, but I had my fill of them when we used to spend our summers at a condo in New Smyrna Beach.

See tons of them at the beach every year, so I don't even pay attention, or notice them at Disney. I do recall, however, my daughter seeing several at AK last year.

 

[vicki_c]

Ditto - we saw a bunch at the Poly in January. Frequently in the upper area by the pool (smoking area between GCH and Hawaii). I agree - you had an uninformed cast member - maybe they have personal lizard issues!

 

[Allison]

Honestly, I wouldn't get so upset about what one CM told you. I would be doing some fact checking first.

There are tons of over the top stories and outright incorrect information that come from CM's.

 

[MsStinkerBelle]

That CM had to be pulling your leg.

My mother is a Floridian born and raised and she said when they were kids they'd catch these little lizards and even keep some as pets. They were out in brute force last August at the Poly and I saw them scampering around in December when it got quite hot for a few days.

Like love bugs in May and September, lizards are a given in central Florida.

 

[wdw4us2]

Maybe they all moved to my house. I've got a ton of them.

Same here. If the OP misses them, I'll have to post photos. There were at least five of them out by the front door when I last came into our house.

 

[ConcKahuna]

1) The anoles are everywhere. Being cold-blooded, they cant really hang out on pavement if it's hot outside, or they will bake. This is probably why you didnt see many.

2) Disney wouldn't poison them because kids were bitten. They are too small to break the skin. As a kid, I would often catch them and get them to open their mouths, then camp them on my ears/nose/etc to freak people out. They work well as "jewelry" and will hang on for a few minutes before they get tired

 

[nataliela]

1) The anoles are everywhere. Being cold-blooded, they cant really hang out on pavement if it's hot outside, or they will bake. This is probably why you didnt see many.

2) Disney wouldn't poison them because kids were bitten. They are too small to break the skin. As a kid, I would often catch them and get them to open their mouths, then camp them on my ears/nose/etc to freak people out. They work well as "jewelry" and will hang on for a few minutes before they get tired

yep-best jewelry in town!

 

[Wishes4ever]

We've stayed at the Poly many times and have always seen them scampering around. As long as they kept their distance from me, I'm fine. I'm scared to death of them. One early morning I heard something in our room, I suspected a mouse of course. We called to the concierge desk (we were staying Club Level, Hawaii Longhouse) and they told us someone would be up to get it out of our room.

We came back much later and it was gone, thank goodness. My biggest fear that it would get into our suitcases and we wouldn't know until we got back home. Special thanks to Jeffrey and the cast members who took care of this little problem for us.

I'm sure they are still there and yes it was unfortunate you didn't see any this trip....there's always the next vacation to plan to see the MOUSE!

 

[dpuck1998]

I am a Certified Disney Nut. In my senior year, I did a thesis on Walt Disney. My husband and I spent our honeymoon there and have since had 2 beautiful daughters that we take annually to Disneyworld to enjoy the magic.
We are from Michigan and we love the animal world so naturally, part of the fun of our trip is spotting the salamanders/lizards that thrive in Florida's climate. We just returned from the Polynesian resort and saw ZERO little lizards on the walkways. Out of curiosity, I asked one of the cast members working at Captain Cook's why we weren't seeing any. She replied that children were trying to catch them and would get bitten so Disney sprayed and killed them all off.
We did not see a single lizard at Polynesian resort, nor any of the four parks, nor Downtown Disney. I didn't want to believe it, but she must have been correct.
I was shocked, saddened, disappointed, and incensed that Disney would have such little respect for these harmless creatures. This act of cruelty is the epitome of irony for a corporation that built it's foundation on a MOUSE and continues its success from animating various animals, birds, and insects.
Also, it is no surprise that the number of insect bites received is inversely proportional to the killing of the "sallies" as we had affectionately called them. I had 5 insect bites during my stay and in years past, only one or none. Coincidence? I do not believe so.
I am dismayed that a beloved institution would commit horrific mass killings to avoid a potential lawsuit (idiots suing Disney because a lizard bite happened on their property).
What next? The birds because they pooped on someones head? Stop killing the very things that Disney built its' magic upon.

I know you take this seriously so despite our friendship and my usual personality I won't make light of it. But my best guess is that they were just MIA this trip. I doubt Disney "sprays" for lizards and like happens often, this CM was just "making" this up or things spraying for mosquitoes and lizards are the same thing.

I have one at my house (leopard gecko) if you want to get your fix....Come on over....

 

[hammie59]

We saw an anole at CSR a few weeks ago. I expected to see more, but wasn't really looking either. I love those little guys.

 

[goofy4tink]

Maybe they all moved to my house. I've got a ton of them.

Quit hoarding the little fellas!!!!
I didn't see a ton of them in January at POP but there were some. They were probably smarter than us...it was chilly then, so them stayed nice and warm in the undergrowth I would imagine.
Man, I love watching the kids chasing them....those critters are fast, I just can't imagine anyone catches them very often.

 

[MichelleinMaine]

We saw a bunch in April (same levels as in the past, I guess?) walking out from Poly to Shades of Green. My Dh entertains the rest of the gang with his antics trying to catch them.

 

[dpuck1998]

Quit hoarding the little fellas!!!!
I didn't see a ton of them in January at POP but there were some. They were probably smarter than us...it was chilly then, so them stayed nice and warm in the undergrowth I would imagine.
Man, I love watching the kids chasing them....those critters are fast, I just can't imagine anyone catches them very often.

I spent many summers in Florida catching them. Like someone else said, they look great dangling from an ear ;-) They will detatch thier tales however, so I try not to grab them by the tail.

 

[ticktock]

1) The anoles are everywhere. Being cold-blooded, they cant really hang out on pavement if it's hot outside, or they will bake. This is probably why you didnt see many.

2) Disney wouldn't poison them because kids were bitten. They are too small to break the skin. As a kid, I would often catch them and get them to open their mouths, then camp them on my ears/nose/etc to freak people out. They work well as "jewelry" and will hang on for a few minutes before they get tired

Ah, good times . Seriously I can't think of anything they could spray that would control the lizard population without killing everything else including the humans. I have seen wild iguanas (escaped, they're not native) at Disney that could possibly give you a nasty bite but you would put traps out for them, not spray. Maybe the CM was confused?