Alligator Drags 2 Year old into water at Grand Floridian resort.

[IAmFloridaBorn]

I can't even imagine what the family has to be feeling right now. It was at night so they means that it would be incredibly hard to see the alligator in the water until it came out of the water and attacked. I wonder if this will spark any changes to the lagoon as far as what wildlife is in there.

It most certainly should. Starting with a fence. or barrier.

 

[Brian G.]

It most certainly should. Starting with a fence. or barrier.

That won't happen.

They'll set out a hunt for gators most likely, and post a better warning sign.

 

[Friar Tuck & Roll]

I feel sorry for both the child and the parents in this event.
I have seen cast members in the very early morning trying to move a gator back into the water years ago when staying at Dixie Landings. The cast members did not want more of the guests to see the gator when they awoke. Growing up in Florida you learn that any open body of water has the potential to have gators in it.

 

[quinnmac000]

I feel really bad for Disneyhead right now as he probably has to go to get this reported as well. How terrible. Just a bad week for Orlando.

 

[misterID]

I realize gators could be in any body of water here. A gator lived in the lake behind my freshman dorm at UF, even.

I guess I just didn't think of gators being on any theme park property - well, wild ones as I mentioned. I guess I naively thought that they might somehow control that due to the risk of danger to the guests/CMs/TMs. Definitely a sad reminder to be vigilant around bodies of water here.

I've seen alligators around there and water moccasins. It's basically swampland out there.

 

[snayberry]

Reminds me of that big gator walking around on a golf course. Did you guys see that video? It was huge.

 

[Brian G.]

I've seen alligators around there and water moccasins. It's basically swampland out there.

Ugh... I hate moccasins.

I've been chased by a one when I was younger, probably explains my fear of snakes.

 

[12th Man]

An Uber driver in Orlando was talking to me about water moccasins. After being traumatized (he showed me a picture), I was on alert :ninja:

 

[misterID]

I'm actually shocked that guy who used to swim out to discovery island didn't get bit out there.

I was closing up a golf course one night and a gator rushed out of a pond, jaws open and charged me while in a moving golf cart. It literally came out of nowhere and scared the hell out of me. They get VERY aggressive during mating season... Especially when people feed them.

 

[amityboattours]

Jeez. What's next for Orlando this week, a plague of locusts?!

Desperately sad news, there must no greater pain than losing a child

 

[Disneyhead]

OMG! When will this week stop!

 

[Scott W.]

What a terrible week this has been.

I hate to say it but I wonder if the parents will get the same amount of hate as the ones at Cincinnati zoo.

 

[ynnoj]

The suspension of reality for some at WDW is too strong. You're still in Florida and you're still close by to a natural body of water. By cautious, especially at night.

Tragic.

 

[Disneyhead]

Another day, another dollar.

 

[Hockeyman55]

Unbelievably sad and tragic. The last thing anyone can think of happening while on Disney vacation. My heart goes out the parents, lord knows if something like that happened to one of my children I would go insane

 

[Macfr3ak]

Bodies of merky water attract gators. They can be in any water at any time. They have seen a few gators at the beach this year. That's a bit odd but just goes to support the thing everyone is saying about Gators being anywhere.

Growing up in Florida, one thing you learn is if you get in the water you take a risk. Period. If you turn your back near water you take a risk. At the same time it is the duty of owned or controlled bodies of water to have warning signs for familiar sightings of gators and such.

Also Gators are good at hiding under cars. I live near 3 canals and several lakes. Whenever I step our I look under the vehicle.

Not to mention snakes..


I think it is disney's job to make all families aware of the dangers (Sadly the times we live in).. and the parents job to not have a 2 year old in the shore of a lake specially in the evening (with so many pools) but hey its not a time to point fingers and blame. What a sad week for Orlando- For Florida and for the USA - Be safe be aware and be forward thinkers

 

[Teebin]

WDW just shut down all its beaches.

 

[MrRoamer]

This is an incredibly sad story... seriously can we buy a break please.

There is no way they can prevent alligators from getting into that body of water. I know I have seen a few out there, but I'm always looking. My father was the primary alligator trapper of south Florida and I spent up until I went to college trapping them with him and I still have family doing it. The problem is once alligators are fed by humans they begin to associate humans with food and lose their natural fear. Many people don't quite get the concept of don't feed the animals in every day life, this is exponentially true in the theme parks where people don't realize they aren't part of the show. I have seen some truly amazing things with this mentality including a father put his toddler on the back of an alligator sunning itself so that he could take a picture in the Loxahatchee state park and we were sure to give him a nice long lecture after pulling his daughter off of it.

Unfortunately, this means that several alligators that were not dangerous will be killed for no reason because of public perception of making that water "safe" again as well as searching for the real nuisance gator. I imagine the old River Country area is likely swarming with alligators (among cotton mouths and other animals) and make it incredibly difficult to get an idea of exactly how many live in the area.

If anyone has any questions please feel free to ask.

 

[ThemeParks4Life]

Good God, this has truly been an awful past few days for Orlando.

 

[yankees13]

Terrible. This is why I don't trust any body of water. You never know what's down there. I hear living in Florida, you can find gators in pools sometimes.