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Disney World - alligator attacks 2 yr old

Heard this on the radio this morning. A couple of things strike me as odd:

1. Disney has alligators in the lake. Who knew?

2. Where exactly was this kid playing that he was close enough to a waterline that a gator could snag him? From what I recall of the place its pretty well removed from the waterline and even though there is a beach, its tucked in from the lake portion.

Also the radio hosts were trying to make light of the past few days and said, "Can you imagine our friends over at Visit Florida? What is there next ad going to say? 'Visit Florida, please?' "
 
I have only been there once but don't they have beaches on that lake? How do they keep the gators out of those areas?
 
I think the entire Grande Floridian is right on the lake, other than the conference center & parking lot.
 
Apparently the kid had waded into about 1 feet of water IN the lake when he was snatched. So tragic.
 
It is so tragic. Parents letting their kid play in waters in Florida and didn't see the signs "no swimming" clearly posted. You can be sure that Disney will do everything to try and keep gators out of those waters going forward.
 
The only article I read on CNN made it seem like the lake or body of water this happened in wasn't part of the actual beach that is part of the hotel. Witness' said the area he was in had plenty of "no swimming" signs. Time will tell the entire story. Tragic either way, but if true also much different than Disney having gators swimming around beaches they promote swimming in.
 
You can't keep the gators out. Its Florida, they're everywhere and impossible to contain. I think the best they can do is remind people that even though they're at Disney, they are surrounded by wildlife. Florida has wildlife and some of it is dangerous. They can certainly try to capture and remove any gators they find, but most of the WDW resort is actually protected wildlife reserve area. Its the size of Manhattan, you're not going to keep wildlife out.
 
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Awful. I can't even imagine being a parent and witnessing that.
I have always assumed there were tons of alligators in that lake.
 
kc78 said:
You can't keep the gators out. Its Florida, they're everywhere and impossible to contain. I think the best they can do is remind people that even though they're at Disney, they are surrounded by wildlife. Florida has wildlife and some of it is dangerous. They can certainly try to capture and remove any gators they find, but most of the WDW resort is actually protected wildlife reserve area. Its the size of Manhattan, you're not going to keep wildlife out.
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I agree. You can be sure WDW will be doing everything to catch and remove gators from their bodies of water close to resorts.
 
The report from a few minutes ago said they've already captured four other alligators in Seven Seas Lagoon, but still haven't found THE one or the kid yet.
 
kc78 said:
You can't keep the gators out. Its Florida, they're everywhere and impossible to contain. I think the best they can do is remind people that even though they're at Disney, they are surrounded by wildlife. Florida has wildlife and some of it is dangerous. They can certainly try to capture and remove any gators they find, but most of the WDW resort is actually protected wildlife reserve area. Its the size of Manhattan, you're not going to keep wildlife out.
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Don't be a Disney apologist. They're freaking Disney! There's nothing the mouse can't do.
 
Interesting how the national news has spun it -- "near Disney", "near Orlando", etc. Very little acknowledgement that it happened on Disney property.
 
Jebiford29 said:
The report from a few minutes ago said they've already captured four other alligators in Seven Seas Lagoon, but still haven't found THE one or the kid yet.
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This sounds harsh but are they cutting these gators open? How will they know they got THE one. I heard it was 4-7 feet, that's not real specific or noticeably large for a gator. Feel horrible for the parents, can't even imagine.
 
This is as bad as the little girl from LA that died from a shark attack in Destin back in 2005. Could not imagine the nightmare those parents are living...
 
QuaZ2002 said:
This sounds harsh but are they cutting these gators open? How will they know they got THE one. I heard it was 4-7 feet, that's not real specific or noticeably large for a gator. Feel horrible for the parents, can't even imagine.
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The gator is probably more likely to stuff the kid under something to rot and eat later. I still would like to know what is the difference between the lake on one side with no swimming signs and the same lake with a beach near by where I assume people swim all the time. Maybe a fence under the surface but how could you trust that to keep a gator out?
 
We stayed at the Grand Floridian, at the building closest to this beach, 3 weeks ago. Why anyone would splash around in that water is beyond me. Signs everywhere, not to mention just common sense would seem to suggest that you should stay out of the water...it just screams "gators."

I can't imagine what this family is going through.
 
SoddyNole said:
The gator is probably more likely to stuff the kid under something to rot and eat later. I still would like to know what is the difference between the lake on one side with no swimming signs and the same lake with a beach near by where I assume people swim all the time. Maybe a fence under the surface but how could you trust that to keep a gator out?
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They don't allow swimming in any of the lakes and haven't for years. The main reason given was the discover of the bacteria in the lakes in Florida that can eat your brain. I think it probably was also to reduce their liability for swimming related deaths. But swimming is not allowed in any lakes on Disney property.

Again, there are miles and miles and miles of wildlife reserve on Disney property. People don't realize it and think its all completely safe and sound. You're in Florida. There is wildlife. Disney probably needs to do more to assure that people are not in the water, especially near dark. There's most definitely some liability on their part as the signage and staffing isn't in place to assure of that. They don't want to publicly remind people that bad things can happen in Disney world, but the total area is larger than Manhattan. While the mouse is powerful, they're not God.
 
I agree it was irresponsible, but keep in mind these people were from Nebraska. Yes, everyone is aware of alligators, but if you're not from Florida, you don't really appreciate how common they are. They were probably thinking of them like bears. Every time we go to a park in north Georgia, there's theoretically bears there. But they aren't all that commonly seen, and I wouldn't think twice about letting my kid run up a trail 100 feet ahead of me. I think that's how people not from Florida think about alligators, not that they can literally be anywhere with water.

The signs should really say "Alligator Area - Stay Out". "No Swimming" probably isn't strong enough to keep someone from letting their kid put his feet in the water, or walk close to the water.

That said, given the amount of people that come through there without incident, this is really just the equivalent of a horrible accident, without a real need to place blame on either Disney or the parents. It's just a bad thing that happened.
 
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tolkien1 said:
I feel awful for the family. I also cannot for the life of me figure out why you'd let a toddler into the water, at night, on a lake in Florida.
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I tend to agree with you. My wife and I were talking about this incident this morning and it reminded us of some new friends that we have. We both have noticed that they don't watch their young kids well enough and really let them do "risky" things... especially around bodies of water (i.e: going into lakes that don't see a lot of human traffic in general-- who knows what other creatures are in it). Then they don't watch them closely enough either. The youngest are 5 and 4. I pray something similar doesn't happen to them but truthfully it wouldn't surprise me if it did.
 
Yep-It is really horrible. I can find no fault with parents from NE thinking their toddler was ok standing (not swimming around) in shallow water to watch fireworks. The whole Disney resort thing would easily lull just about any parent from areas with no gators into a false sense of security. I find it really sad too at how small the gator was and how the father tried to get it but could not. Watching your child get snatched away would be brutal. But then having a chance and trying to fight off a 4-6 foot gator and have it get away with my child would ruin me forever.
 
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QuaZ2002 said:
This sounds harsh but are they cutting these gators open? How will they know they got THE one. I heard it was 4-7 feet, that's not real specific or noticeably large for a gator. Feel horrible for the parents, can't even imagine.
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Yes, they are euthanizing the gators and cutting them open.
 
I can't really think about those parents without wanting to throw up. That's the age of my child and even being from Florida, I wouldn't have really thought too much about him having his feet in the water. I can't imagine the pain and terror they are going through.
 
I absolutely am torn up about this since I have a precious 2 year old granddaughter. I cannot imagine the pain the parents are in at this moment.

I saw a quote from a Disney worker who wanted to remain anonymous, but he said that alligators are drawn into the area because the tourists won't abide by the warnings not to FEED ALLIGATORS.
1. Why is there not a full staff of trappers at Disney? Their salary has to be cheaper than the insurance settlement by a fraction.
2. Why is there no fence in the water that will deter the gators from getting into this "beach area"? If you saw the aerial view of where this baby was snatched it was on that improved "beach area" and the parents may have had a false sense of safety.

I hope the Mom has been heavily sedated for her sake. My thoughts and prayers are with her. Disneyworld is definitely not the "happiest place on earth" for that family.
 
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I'll be honest, I wouldn't let my kid in the water at night, but not for thinking there's alligators there. It would be from a drowning risk and also the lake being dirty. No swimming signs should be taken seriously but I see no swimming signs on large public fountains, it isn't meant to also mean "alligators are nearby".
 
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I don't have time to read all the articles at work, so I have two questions for the people who have:
1) Did anyone witness the alligator attack other than the parents?
2) Did any of the plethora of cameras on Disney property capture the attack?
 
SoddyNole said:
I have only been there once but don't they have beaches on that lake? How do they keep the gators out of those areas?
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Apparently they don't. This was a nice beach area at the hotel where they could watch the fireworks and even a movie.
 
Semiologist said:
I don't have time to read all the articles at work, so I have two questions for the people who have:
1) Did anyone witness the alligator attack other than the parents?
2) Did any of the plethora of cameras on Disney property capture the attack?
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what are you getting at?
 
My heart breaks for these parents. We stay at Disney resorts probably twice a year and you can get lulled into a false sense of security because they have so much of the experience locked down.

I truly doubt the baby was in a foot of water, but we'll never know. With all the lights coming from the resort, there had to be perfect silhouettes for the gator to lock in on.

Those parents will never be the same and the whole thing turns my stomach.
 
Semiologist said:
I'm hoping this isn't another Susan Smith/Andrea Yates/Casey Anthony situation.
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I think they have enough to go by that they can tell this is real and not the family concocting a story for nefarious reasons. The father has some cuts on his hand from trying to get the gator and there were witnesses:

"The father suffered minor scratches on his hand trying to save his son


"The sad reality of it is it's been several hours, and we're not likely going to recover a live body," Demings said.

He said there is no record of similar incidents in this particular area.

A handful of people witnessed the attack and supplied police with information. Witnesses said the family was on the beach, and the boy's sister was in a playpen about 20 to 30 yards from the water, according to Demings. The toddler was nearby, wading in the water. "

There are "No Swimming" signs at the lagoon, and no one else was in the water at the time of the attack besides the child, Demings said.

Declan Salcido, who was vacationing at the resort with relatives from San Jose, California, said the "No Swimming" signs are visible "from any vantage point."


http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/15/us/alligator-attacks-child-disney-florida/
 
I had a hard time reading the article. Absolutely tragic, couldn't imagine.
 
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GwinnettNole said:
I tend to agree with you. My wife and I were talking about this incident this morning and it reminded us of some new friends that we have. We both have noticed that they don't watch their young kids well enough and really let them do "risky" things... especially around bodies of water (i.e: going into lakes that don't see a lot of human traffic in general-- who knows what other creatures are in it). Then they don't watch them closely enough either. The youngest are 5 and 4. I pray something similar doesn't happen to them but truthfully it wouldn't surprise me if it did.
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Never under estimate the stupidity of the American people.
 
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