Heartbreaking news...a big reminder to be aware of wildlife on property

[GBBTomorrow]

An eye sore would be worth one child's life. If that's what is deemed necessary to prevent this from happening again, I think every parent would be for it.

I would not be for it, and I'm a parent. Just like I would not be for fences around the hot water areas at Yellowstone or fences to keep me off trails at Glacier National Park. We can't fence ourselves off from every risk. Terrible things happen. We cannot prevent them all. Look at the lady who was killed on the beach in North Carolina when she was hit by a beach umbrella that got uprooted from the sand. We are mortal. Bad things, tragic things, hurt us. A fence is false security.

At the same time, I'm passing no judgment on this poor family. All parents know how fast something can go wrong with little children, and even the best of us have moments where something gets by us and a child wanders into danger. Most of us are just plain lucky not to be in the shoes of people who tragically lose a child to an accident. My heart breaks for this family and the grief and pain they will live with. I have nothing but compassion and sympathy.

 

[GeorgiaHoo]

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/disney-world-alligator-liverpool-family-11477383

Family from Liverpool says that a gator lunged out of the water at them at a Polynesian beach movie a few weeks ago.

 

[cckp72]

Gator attacks that are fatalities are rather rare (from US Today) "Wildlife officials count around a dozen alligator bites a year in Florida, but fatalities from the reptiles are far less common. There have been only 23 fatalities caused by alligators in Florida since the 1940s, Wiley said. Tuesday's incident is the first known alligator attack at the Seven Seas Lagoon, he said."

 

[focusondisney]

CNN just reported WDW is closing all the beaches on property. I assume at least temporary fencing will go up

 

[lynch34]

It makes you wonder why Disney does those idiotic movies on the beach at the Polynesian at night. I walked by there with my kids when we stayed at the Poly and I told my wife its shameful they call that a "beach" because it gets people thinking about swimming, etc. That is nothing more than gross, swamp water.

To the clown on this thread that said they don't want gates up because its an eye sore - shame on you. Gates might not be the answer as they might not work but to say you shouldn't have them because they might look bad when kids safety is at hand - you are ridiculous.

 

[Jake&IzzyLand]

This is something out of a horror movie. As a mother, I don't think I could ever get over it. My heart goes out to them. I truly cannot fathom what they are going through.

I do not for one second think they were purposely negligent or wreckless. Maybe it was their first time on a disney beach. Maybe they couldn't see the posted signs. I'm sure their child being eaten by an alligator was not on their radar. They assumed safety and fun.

No matter your opinion, that family will be going home without their baby. Really that's all that matters. Not how or why or ways you think could have prevented it.

Accidents and tragic events happen daily. All over and multiple times. We should not sit around and think of all the ways we could have done better.

 

[luvthemouse71]

Alligators live in any body of water in Florida. Even after hurricanes, alligators will be found living in swimming pools here in Florida. For me, if a sign says no swimming I do not go in that body of water. Alligators in Florida are known to snatch small dogs from yards on canals and such. So tragic but could have been avoided.

Yes, no swimming means stay out. Every so often up here, the beaches will be closed for high bacteria count and once in a while in Massachusetts, a shark sighting( lots of seals there lately). They don't want you in there wading. They want you out.

Plus, this was at night, so the danger was even more pronounced. The water is murky as it is, add darkness to that and it's a disaster waiting to happen.

I do think Disney may make the signs more specific. As in "stay out of the water, gators and other wildlife may be present"

 

[Sammie]

I am simply amazed at the number of people that were seriously not aware of this danger. Pete, founder of DIS has warned for years, Stay Out of the Lakes. Not only are there gators, but poisonous snakes and brain damaging amoebas. When I travel, I make myself aware of dangers. There comes a time when we have to take responsibility for our own safety.

I do however blame those that have been feeding the gators and thought nothing would come of it. Maybe some need to watch Animal Planet or Discovery channel and learn about the dangers of gators and what happens when people feed them.

 

[Gillyrose779]

.

 

[P'colaBeachBum]

Inform us of what? Is it my fault that some idiot family threw bread at the alligators the day before so it got so used to humans it went after me? This isn't some backwoods swamp, it's a theme park that millions of people go to. It was only a matter of time before the gators got used to humans just like everything else there. Now people are coming out with personal stories and pictures about gators ON LAND in Disney, just go to twitter and it's trending. But I guess I need to run from the bus to my room right, is that the personal responsibility you're talking about?

When I visited NYC I stayed away from the subways. WDW was built on swampland. What do you propose WDW do? More signs? You can try to idiot proof but it still won't keep people from going in the water or feeding critters. In my neighborhood we have gators and snakes. I don't wander around at night.

ETA..http://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/managed/alligator/facts/

 

[yulilin3]

It makes you wonder why Disney does those idiotic movies on the beach at the Polynesian at night. I walked by there with my kids when we stayed at the Poly and I told my wife its shameful they call that a "beach" because it gets people thinking about swimming, etc. That is nothing more than gross, swamp water.

To the clown on this thread that said they don't want gates up because its an eye sore - shame on you. Gates might not be the answer as they might not work but to say you shouldn't have them because they might look bad when kids safety is at hand - you are ridiculous.

I was at the Poly about 2 weeks ago and the movies are now shown on the grassy area between the pool and the lobby.

 

[Robertfam08]

I'm another physically sickened by this story. I am so sad for this family. Our thoughts and prayers are with them.

Where we are from there are tons of lakes and ponds. "No Swimming" does NOT mean the same thing as "Stay Out of the Water" here. In just a foot or less of water, a child could have been getting a bucket full to build a sandcastle up on the shore...that wouldn't be considered swimming. And I wouldn't confuse "common sense" with "common knowledge." Clearly from this thread alligators at Disney are not "common knowledge" for all, but that doesn't mean those same people don't possess common sense about not jumping into the water. This was a freak accident and a terrible tragedy, and I hope now more people will be vigilant and that it DOES become "common knowledge" for more visiting the resort. I usually give Disney the upper hand on this stuff, but I agree with others that the verbiage on their signs needs to change.

 

[Pixie Dust ✨]

When I visited NYC I stayed away from the subways. WDW was built on swampland. What do you propose WDW do? More signs? You can try to idiot proof but it still won't keep people from going in the water or feeding critters. In my neighborhood we have gators and snakes. I don't wander around at night.

Why? That is our #1, very safe, public transportation system.

 

[Nancyg56]

Of course, the parents will sue! I honestly can't believe that there are alligators on property and I don't know if there were "Beware of alligators" signs out. People go out to that beach believing that it's safe, so I think that there's some liability there.

But this got me shook. I remember staying at the Port Orleans-Riverside resort and a bullfrog took up residence there last year. I thought that it was a part of the ambience, but then I saw some CMs seeking it out to remove it from the property. And I remember saying to the family that if a bullfrog can take up residence, then what would stop an alligator. This is simply tragic!

I have stayed in many resorts and hotels in the South and I have NEVER been given a flyer or a warning about the alligators. Not one time. As tragic as this is, I cannot understand how Disney is at fault here. If the case is that management must warn people about every danger area nature presents in order to be safe from liability, then I bet that check in across Ameica will soon be a fun two hours.

no swimming means "this body of water can be dangerous" and that should be valid wherever you come from.

Do people lack so much common sense that they need to be told basic things.

That's the very same issue as the guy who sued McDonald's because his coffee was hot and he had not been warned ... come on, coffee is supposed to be hot, and if it's not hot enough people will complain ...
come on people, common sense and logic.

next thing you know, someone will sue an airline because there was no sign at the boarding gate informing passengers that the plane would actually leave the ground.

When people go to the Restrooms, do they need a sign informing them what they're allowed to do on the "throne" ?

Asking for explicit signs for each minute thing, is a way to not take responsibility for one's own actions.

I understand why you used the McDonalds suit as an example, but you chose the wrong one. McDonalds was serving coffee well above the boiling point and had been issued no less than three warning to lower the temperature of the coffee. Thye had done research and knew that people geneally dank the coffee over 20 minutes after having purchased it, and knew what temp is needed to be served at to be hot 20 minutes later. The lid on the coffee was not on properly, and whe the woman tried to fix it, it spilled. THe coffee was scalding and actually melted her clothing into her skin. This was nto a nuisance lawsuit becasue McDonalds ignored the law and chose to serve a dangerously hot product in spite of repeated efforts to get them to stop the practice.

 

[yaya74]

If gators are seen at Tom Sawyer Island and Splash Mountain, what's the chance that gator would get into the river at Jungle Cruise??

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

When I visited NYC I stayed away from the subways. .

4.3 million people manage to ride our subway every day. It is not dangerous.

 

[monkistan]

I just got back from WDW and was at Caribbean beach. I'd seen a family who went into the water. terrifying. I know that you shouldn't go into the water. I listen to the podcast. I know that there are gators, snakes,amoebas. but because I saw that family there, i wanted to see how clear the signs were that you shouldn't go into the water. when i walked along the beach, i barely saw one sign. it was tiny. it was easy to miss. I totally get how someone wouldn't know that you shouldn't go into the water.

 

[Jetta8300]

I would not be for it, and I'm a parent. Just like I would not be for fences around the hot water areas at Yellowstone or fences to keep me off trails at Glacier National Park. We can't fence ourselves off from every risk. Terrible things happen. We cannot prevent them all. Look at the lady who was killed on the beach in North Carolina when she was hit by a beach umbrella that got uprooted from the sand. We are mortal. Bad things, tragic things, hurt us. A fence is false security.

At the same time, I'm passing no judgment on this poor family. All parents know how fast something can go wrong with little children, and even the best of us have moments where something gets by us and a child wanders into danger. Most of us are just plain lucky not to be in the shoes of people who tragically lose a child to an accident. My heart breaks for this family and the grief and pain they will live with. I have nothing but compassion and sympathy.

Disney is NOT Yellowstone. At Yellowstone you expect rampant wildlife and I wouldn't bring a 2 year old there. Sorry. You expect grizzly bears there. At Disney your child should be able to walk 2 feet away from you and not expect a gator to come out and grab your toddler. Insane to compare the two places. If they cannot be 100 percent sure there are no gators there should be fencing.

This child did NOT wander. The parents were right there and both mother and father tried to wrestle the gator. Some even said the mom was holding hands with the child.

 

[Disneychick75]

We live in south Louisiana. A friend was walking his dog when a gator lunged from a ditch and grabbed the dog. Basically, in a lot of the southern states, including Florida, if there is a natural body of water, there is about a 100% chance that there are gators might be living in it. If a pool is unfenced, there's a good chance a gator will find its way into the water. Fenced pools might have a small gator. We always check our fenced pool before we get into it. In early posts, people were saying they couldn't believe there were gators in water because it is Disney World. People Fantasyland is just that-a fantasy. Do you think gators sense a Disney "No Gators allowed." invisible fence? It's nature. Guess what? Hurricanes blow through sometimes and snakes are also all over Disney World-roaches and spiders too.

 

[monkistan]

I thought the implication was that there are gators in our subways? teenage mutant ninja gators, perhaps.

4.3 million people manage to ride our subway every day. It is not dangerous.