WL snake

[SpaceMountain_uk]

Just got back from 2weeks at the WL. We had a great time but i thought i'd let everyone know about the snake we saw. I was walking down to meet my sister at the pool when i passed a group of people screaming at a bush. It was past the first few sunbeds on the roaring forks side of the pool.

I decided i'd go and have a look at what all the fuss was about and there on the grass was a snake finishing off one of those bunny rabbits that are everywhere at the lodge. Needless to say i was shocked, there were kids screaming and everything.
2 disney people came quickly and caught the snake and took it away in a BIG bag! My sister said as she was going down to the pool she had saw that rabbit eating some grass happily.

I also came across an armadilo when i was walking around the lodge grounds. It was trying to dig itself into the ground.

 

[wdwstar]

we were there in feb. and at the same spot as discribed. we just came out with our lunch and sat at a table that was right next to the pool , closer to the deep end. and people were screaming and we looked on the ground, here comes a snake slithering towards us, we just picked up our feet and any bags that were on the ground, i was actually hoping that the snake would just slither into the bags next to us, we were sitting at this table first and the people came and sat next to us on lounge chairs, as soon as my 2 dd left to swim while dh & i were talking about going to get lunch , these people rudely took 2 chairs from the table and put their pool bags on them. dh & i just looked at each other and we didnt know what to say----
when dh brought the lunch back my 2 dd came over and sat on the ground to eat lunch, i finally said something to the people like, do you mind if we take back the chairs that belong to this table so we can eat our lunch as a family!

so they gave up our chairs and put their pool bags down on the ground, thats why i was hoping the snake would just slither into their pool bags.

i feel bad for the rabbit, if i would have thought about the snake going after the rabbits, i would have told the cm . but sometimes when you on vacation in that magical surrounding, you don't think about bad things happening.

 

[Kimberle]

Ooohhhh, yuck! I DO NOT like snakes.

Guess I'll be keeping off the grass next weeks.

 

[FirstNo]

Originally posted by SpaceMountain_uk
Just got back from 2weeks at the WL. We had a great time but i thought i'd let everyone know about the snake we saw. I was walking down to meet my sister at the pool when i passed a group of people screaming at a bush.

I decided i'd go and have a look at what all the fuss was about and there on the grass was a snake finishing off one of those bunny rabbits that are everywhere at the lodge. Needless to say i was shocked, there were kids screaming and everything.
2 disney people came quickly and caught the snake and took it away in a BIG bag!

I have never been able to understand why, even back when I used to be a tourist to this area, people are so surprised to see live (as opposed to the AA) animals on the DW property. FL is pretty much a big swamp. It stands to reason that we would have snakes (both poisonous and non), alligators, deer, bears, rabbits, armadillos, panthers, squirrels, turtles, lizards, birds of prey and all sorts of other assorted critters and creatures running freely about.

It's like someone going to vacation at Yellowstone National Park and being surprised they saw a bear. I just don't get it.

 

[cottontail]

We had a baby snake in our washroom at the polynesian.

I made a mistake and left the sliding door open a couple of inches off the patio, while we were at the parks for about 7 hours. It was very hot outside and cool inside with our airconditioning.

Hubby put it in a cracker box and let it go, but management sent up two fellows and they had three foot long tongs to catch it. It was about l0 inches long.
They actually would have liked to have seen it to check what type of snake it was and take it away if it was poisonous.

They offered us another room, but we kept ours and they sent us a huge fruit and cheese platter for our trouble.

Deb.

 

[MEM]

I'm one of the oddballs who actually looks forward to seeing Florida wildlife, snakes included! I was raised by a snake-loving Dad and I admire the critters. The snake showed poor timing by eating in front of an audience but he and his comrades play an important role in rodent control. I was actually jealous that my husband saw an armadillo late one night -- it was crossing one of the bridges near the WL pool. Now I'm curious about what kind of snake it was you all saw?

 

[DZNEEXPERT]

Reality consists of snakes, rabbits, grass, dirt, rain, humidity, ....all these things that cannot be controlled 100%. Please, if you're going to complain about EVERYTHING..it's really sad. Have fun, let a cast member know what you saw..and keep going on your day. Why, WHY make a fuss over something so so so common in everyday life in Florida. Snakes are a part of Florida, not Disney. Should Disney move then, to a 100% guaranteed place where they'll be no encounters of possible mishaps....?

 

[Sammie]

It is called the "Circle of Life". I believe they made a very popular song about it,

 

[Jillpie]

Geesh, I think this poster was just sharing her experience, not complaining. I think she knows that its part of nature, but not something we see every day. I, for one, would have been shocked to have seen the sight, just because we're not used to it, yuck. But complaining, nah.

 

[goofy4tink]

PANTHERS!!!!???? Okay, I have no problem with snakes, bunnies, lizards, armadillos, even an alligator or two. But panthers?? Have any actually been seen on-site? Especially at WL, with all those gorgeous walk-ways. Yes, I know it is a part of life and a very important one. But do CM's see and control these big cats? I realize the alligators are controlled. Jeez louise FirstNo, now you're gonna have me peering into all the overgrowth down there.

 

[kdibattista]

I don't get where you see complaining either

 

[Sammie]

Originally posted by goofy4tink
PANTHERS!!!!???? Okay, I have no problem with snakes, bunnies, lizards, armadillos, even an alligator or two. But panthers?? Have any actually been seen on-site? Especially at WL, with all those gorgeous walk-ways. Yes, I know it is a part of life and a very important one. But do CM's see and control these big cats? I realize the alligators are controlled. Jeez louise FirstNo, now you're gonna have me peering into all the overgrowth down there.

The chances of a panther being on property are extremely rare, but that is not to say it could not happen in the more remote areas. Certainly Disney keeps a watch on all the natural wildlife that could be a threat but they can't be everywhere 24/7.

As I have said before at WDW your chances are much greater of being struck by lightening that being attached by any wild animal.

Plus I don't think anyone was saying the OP was complaining just commenting on the comment that OP was "shocked" at seeing a natural occurance in Florida. I think some feel because so much of Disney is not real, that the real world does not exist there. But it does on a daily basis.

 

[Mad4Mickey]

Ok they have 31 days to be rid of tose snakes .I like snakes in the form of belts,purses and boots!

I am only kidding ( not about the second part LOL)


Wishing everyone a Tagged and snakless night
Mishell

 

[goofybob]

Hi there, We've seen lots of wildlife while on Disney property including the more interesting in the list below:
- Grazing Deer at night - Carribean Beach
- Black Snakes... look like mini rattlers, don't know if they are poisonous - Wilderness Lodge
- Snapping Turtles - All Over Disney (Side note-The largest snapper I've ever seen was at the Orlando International Airport - seen it form the Monorail in one of the airport ponds - This thing had to pushing 100 pounds)
- Several Alligators up to 4 feet - All Over
- A decent size tree snake - Yellow/Brown 4 feet long - don't know if poisonous
- Common Garter Snakes
- Bunnies Galore
- The creature of Boggy creek - oops that was just my brother-in-law after too much party at Pleasure Island!
- lizards and geckos galore. (my dad and I released some in the Polynesian mini-forest inside the main house (circa 1976)

- You just need what to look for and you'll see plenty of the real life attractions at Disney!

 

[SpaceMountain_uk]

sorry but i seemed to have offended some people . I was NOT complaning at all, just sharing the experience we had. I live in London,UK so its not everyday i see a snake or rabbit running around let alone a snake eating a rabbit. and this was not my first time in florida or the WL for that matter so i know exactly what kind of wildlife run around!

Let me tell you i over heard people by the pool making a huge fuss about how disney shouldn't let snakes etc near resort pools and how they should have some sort of barrier to prevent it and these people where from florida!!! as they were talking about how they prevent critters in their home pools!!

 

[FirstNo]

Originally posted by goofy4tink
PANTHERS!!!!???? Okay, I have no problem with snakes, bunnies, lizards, armadillos, even an alligator or two. But panthers?? Have any actually been seen on-site? Especially at WL, with all those gorgeous walk-ways. Yes, I know it is a part of life and a very important one. But do CM's see and control these big cats? I realize the alligators are controlled. Jeez louise FirstNo, now you're gonna have me peering into all the overgrowth down there.

LOL...believe it or not, FL does have panthers, however, as another poster pointed out, your chances of seeing one are extremely slim (except on specialty license plates). I believe the few that are left in the wild are up in the northern part of the state. You'd have a better chance of seeing a black bear.

I ***think*** the only animals DW will remove/destroy are the snakes and alligators. I had heard they leave the gators alone (as long as they leave people alone) up until they hit 6 feet and then they're removed to a more remote location. Snakes are removed, poisonous or not, because of the "ewww" factor. I know at SoG, we'd have, at least, one snake bite a year. Usually a child who decided to go catch Mr. Snake. I never heard of any one being bitten by a poisonous one, except for the locals off DW property (usually for the same reasons <g>).

 

[FirstNo]

Originally posted by SpaceMountain_uk
sorry but i seemed to have offended some people . I was NOT complaning at all, just sharing the experience we had. I live in London,UK so its not everyday i see a snake or rabbit running around let alone a snake eating a rabbit. and this was not my first time in florida or the WL for that matter so i know exactly what kind of wildlife run around!

Let me tell you i over heard people by the pool making a huge fuss about how disney shouldn't let snakes etc near resort pools and how they should have some sort of barrier to prevent it and these people where from florida!!! as they were talking about how they prevent critters in their home pools!!

I wasn't offended and I don't think any one else was either. I know, as I mentioned, I couldn't understand how any one could be shocked to see regular animals in nature (esp ones doing what comes naturally). Now, if you said you saw a baby elephant roaming about the property and you were stone cold sober, then I could buy your being shocked <g>. But, to be shocked seeing animals you'd normally see in this part of the country....nope, still don't get it.

When I went to the UK, I wasn't shocked to see sheep, sheep and more sheep and a few Scottish cattle roaming the country side. When I went to Saudi Arabia, I wasn't shocked to see scorpions and snakes in the desert. However, I was shocked at the size (my hand) of some of the spiders, but not the seeing of the spiders themselves. And when I went to Korea....hmmm....I can't recall seeing any animals out in the open. Just a bunch of rice paddies.

Be shocked at the beauty, or lack thereof, of the landscape. Be shocked at the generosity, or lack thereof, of the people. Be shocked at your treatment, good or bad, at your hotel. But one should never be shocked to see normal wildlife in any place in the world they travel to.

And as to those complaining that the wildlife should go away, no one said the world was full of common sensed people. We have plenty of idiots in our country, but just because they were talking about how to keep animals out of their pools (I thought I had read in FL, it's state law you must have a barrier around your private pool to keep small children safe), doesn't mean they were from FL. People from all over the country have that problem. Heck, when I was a kid living in DE and we had an above ground pool, we had a huge problem with squirrels. They kept falling in and drowning. :-(

 

[SpaceMountain_uk]

these people were from Fl actually, seeing as they said they lived in tampa, unless tampa isn't in florida anymore.

 

[SuBeat]

I wouldn't be shocked to see a bunny at WDW. I wouldn't be shocked to see a snake there either. But if I saw that snake in the process of eating that bunny? Yeah, that might stun me a bit.

Being shocked, stunned, surprised.......whatever you want to call it........doesn't mean you are in some sort of denial that these things happen everyday, just that you aren't accustomed to having a front row seat for it.

 

[llebrekniT]

Originally posted by SuBeat
[BBeing shocked, stunned, surprised.......whatever you want to call it........doesn't mean you are in some sort of denial that these things happen everyday, just that you aren't accustomed to having a front row seat for it. [/B]

Well said. Poor little bunny. But, if a snake is fast enough to catch a bunny, then it's just meant to be. The "Circle of Life" is quite cruel at times. I am sensitive, even regular TV violence is too much for me, much less R-rated violence. A snake eating a bunny would very easily rate a G on a TV documentary, but it's still very unsettling to watch in person, I'm sure.

WDW is built on a huge piece of wilderness land. It's really very comforting to see how many animals are living there peacefully. They have adapted to seeing humans in their backyard, we have to adapt to seeing them in their home. It's good to know that Disney is taking care of them and at the same time taking action where necessary to keep their guests safe. Sounds like a good balance to me.

I don't like snakes. I don't wish them to be gone from Earth, but I don't want to see one either. That being said, they have apparently been around me on every trip I've had and not one of them ever bothered me. That's a lot more than I can say for some of the humans I've encountered. LOL.