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

[wdw4rfam]

I assume it's difficult to understand if you're not accustomed to living near gators--and I don't mean that condescendingly at all, because I would have no idea how dangerous show could be if I hadn't spent some time around it, for example. But we live near gators, we swim in lakes WITH gators, water ski, whatever. With gators. Because we can't make them stop coming in our lakes. I've mentioned it before, but as a girl at Girl Scout camp we would take a walk around the swimming lake at night to listen to them. They are part of Florida. Most of us aren't afraid of them, although we certainly respect them, because they just don't attack people that often. And especially not when the people aren't in the water or feeding them or taunting them. This was truly a tragic freak accident. It hasn't happened before on Disney property that I know of. Has it?
All we can do is tell far and wide that there ARE gators in pretty much EVERY body of water in Florida. Go near the water at your own risk (but also know that the risk is small). Obviously that's no comfort to the poor family of the toddler. But maybe it will be a reminder to us all to be vigilant around water. Me included! I rarely even think about it at WDW, despite knowing the gators are there.

Trust me I know, we lived in Florida. But i am also saying that while living in Florida, I would never have invited guests to sit by lake at night and watch a movie either. This has always been a fear of mine, even at Disney. I'm just shocked there isn't alligator warning signs to remind people that aren't familiar with Florida wildlife that they are there. Especially since there are activities on the beach at night.

 

[ArwenMarie]

I'm from the Northeast & it honestly would not occur to me that there would be alligators in the lagoon. I don't think I'm a particularly stupid person but I have no experience living in a different environment & that translates into ignorance of Florida wildlife. We just don't have any alligators.

A "no swimming" sign, to me, would mean "no swimming" - wading is not swimming. The father was right there beside the child. I can't even imagine.

This is a really good point. In the Northeast, "no swimming" does not mean "no sticking your feet in" especially in a lake.

The more I think about it, to me, "no swimming" at a lake means this body of water is not guarded.

 

[Mousemommy1]

Personally, I don't think that where you come from has any bearing whether you know if there are gators or not. We are from the northeast and NEVER go near that water. Not only for gators, but it looks gross and stagnant water like that harbors those brain eating amoeba. I would definitely want to have all facts before passing blame, but there are signs everywhere as well!

I am absolutely sick and heartbroken over what happened to this child. The child didn't know any better.

We just stayed at the GF back in April and saw a small gator in the lagoon from our balcony. We didn't think anything of it, because it's Florida. But, we would also not want to be anywhere near that water either.

I am sure there will be updates to the signage all over property now, due to this incident.

 

[barbarabini]

I am so sorry for the family. My heart breaks. Recently, we stayed there and that beach was where they played most of the time, building sandcastles getting buckets of waters. I never thought for a minute there might be alligators. I have been there probably on 20 trips. There should be a sign that says Beware of Alligators or No Swimming - Alligators.

 

[samsteele]

yes..which leads me to believe that at some point guests have feed that gator, or it never would have been that close to shore...so sad that others actions resulted in someone elses tragedy

Most of us would naturally think this to be so but gators are always near the shoreline b/c that is where the fingerlings are, frogs and other food. This is also mating season when the gators are on the move and now getting into the swing of nesting season. My parents have a place in Titusville near Orlando and there is always at least one decent sz gator in the man-made pond just feet from their lanai. It is the norm in Central Florida. This is a terrible tragedy for that family from Newbraska as they no doubt had no inkling whatsoever that this could happen. I see alligators on every WDW vacation and like the PPs, also saw a number of small gators in MK's Frontierland last Oct/Nov. WDW cannot keep alligators out of its property. They do, like most other commercial property owners such as golf courses, condos, housing estates, etc responsibly remove gators of a certain sz if they detect them and/or people report them. They cannot all be monitored and found. Possibly because WDW is such a family-centred vacation mecca, we make assumptions that they can control everything. Unfortunately and tragically, they cannot. Also like PPs, I see families with small children wading in the water at the Poly every time I visit that property. The signs do not seem to be a deterrent for all guests.

 

[ElsieAstronaut]

It never crossed my mind that there *weren't* gators in the lagoon. We've seen them inside MK, in the water around tom sawyer island.

I'm curious what people consider 'wading'. To me, that's going in the water up to about your knees. If that's the case, there's a big difference between that and standing on the beach with your toes in.

 

[EPCOTatNight]

I think it's a good idea to stay away from lakes at night whether you know of alligators or not. A toddler can step on something that isn't seen. While you may not think of a gator, don't let your child play by an area that you can't see very well. Same thing for bushes. Snakes are everywhere too.

 

[Dreamin192]

We were just at the Grand with our two year old twins and five year old. My five year old got really upset we wouldn't let her in the lagoon because she was always seeing other kids in it. To us, no swimming means don't go in the water. I can't even imagine the heartbreak they must be experiencing and I hope that out of this tragedy something good will come in the form of people realizing the signs are for a reason and that no others will be hurt/killed.

 

[DebbieB]

I always thought you weren't allowed in the water because of the bacteria. Plus snakes.

 

[rg35]

What a terrible event.

I've always been wary of gators when staying at Old Key West due to the waterways there, but never really thought about gators at Seven Seas Lagoon - I suppose because I've only ever ferried across it to MK from TTC and reverse...never participated on any other activities nearby.

 

[tonyhb12]

I hope Disney does not put up fences around the beach though.... that would be an eye sore.

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.

 

[GeorgiaHoo]

This sucks. I've never seen gators in the water in this area, either from the boats or from the shore, but I've seen several at MK so just assumed they were around everywhere.

 

[wdhinn89]

Does Disney put up signs to not go near the water at the 7 lagoons lake? I am just wondering because if my child was playing in the sand near the lake I would of never thought about this. We are from up North and it would never occur to me that there are alligators near Disney. Poor family, extremely sad.

I agree. We have seen do no swim signs and always thought it was because of the bacteria in the lake. There should have been alligator warning signs. My heart breaks for this family.

 

[drew64]

I cannot believe the number of people who did not know Florida had alligators possible in ANY body of water. Nor, can I believe the number of people who think it is Disney's job to warn them. Does every beach have a sing warning of every potential danger in the sea. Does every field warn of the potential of bees, snakes, etc.

it is YOUR job to know what is out there and take proper precautions for you and your children. Some people need to grow up and take some responsibility for themselves.

News flash- Disney also has poisonous snakes, fire ants, poisonous spiders, etc. on property. Also, any of those cute little mammals you see could have rabies.

 

[kymom99]

I'm another one that had no idea alligators roamed the lakes in WDW, I figured that Disney would do something to prevent that. And aren't alligators also LAND animals? What would stop a gator from just going on the beach and snatching someone off a hammock? No Swimming does not do enough in my opinion, there should be a warning about this.

I'm pretty sure I have seen a pic of an alligator in a restroom in MK. So yes, they do come on land.
When you visit an area it is your responsibility to research that area. For example, not knowing traffic laws does not excuse you from breaking those laws. If a sign says no swimming, then stay out of the water. We went to CBR and there are beaches on the water. We did not get in the water. We visited the Smoky Mountains and we knew there were bears, so we were conscious of that. To think Disney can possibly keep alligators out of all the water around the resort is not reasonable in my opinion.

This is a tragedy and I feel awful for this family. I know we relax on vacation and let our guard down, but there are dangers of every kind everywhere we go. The fact that this has never happened before tells me that it was a freak accident. I know these parents will never be the same. No sense in casting any blame. I'm sure Disney will revisit their signage and maybe take other steps. If something good comes from this maybe it will be that other families will be spared this heartache.

 

[yulilin3]

It's all about perception. Disney has created such a magical place that people forget it's still Florida.
Should Disney put signs everywhere reminding people of alligators? then they would need to remind people of snakes, birds of pray,bears..
What can people do:
be more vigilant, take care of your kids and stay close to them (just because it's Disney it doesn't mean you should let them stray away)
be aware of safety signs, yes there are signs on the waters edge and I still see people putting their feet in the water,the signs are there for a reason
speaking of signs, how about "don't feed the animals" not only have I seen people feeding ducks, birds, turtles, I've also seen people feeding the alligators that hang around Tom Sawyer Island and Flame Tree.
It's a horrible tragedy for sure, no way am I blaming anyone in this situation, I'm sure Disney will move their movies under the stars somewhere away from the water, they already had moved the one at the Poly to the grassy area between the pool and the lobby.
Will they build a barricade between the beaches and the resorts? who knows, will it help? probably not, when an animal is hungry they will find a way

 

[ArwenMarie]

I'm astounded by those that didn't know there are alligators in Seven Seas Lagoon. Seriously. I remember a tour guide decades ago saying that there probably isn't a body of water anywhere in Florida that isn't home to an alligator or two. It's common sense, isn't it? They are wild animals, they travel across land and they are drawn to water.

Why is that so shocking? Does everyone know every danger in every state and country? (Maybe you do, that is more of a rhetorical question)

 

[chmurf]

I'm very surprised to see how many people just aren't aware that gators are everywhere in Florida. and even more so on this board where aligator sightings are a recurring topic.

Disney can't prevent an aligator to live in their natural habitat. And to those who say the family should sue disney for some kind of responsibility, it's just like arguing that Disney should prevent mosquito bites, or be responsible if you freak out because a love bug landed on your shoulder.

Aligators are a part of Florida. ( Florida Gators anyone ?)

I agree with a PP saying that no one should allow their kids (or even themselves) to go near the water (let alone wade in it, and even more so in an open body of water) after dark. It's dangerous even before taking wildlife into account


When you put your kid in their booster seat, you buckle them up, because that's basic safety. When you go near water in Florida, you need to be aware of the wildlife, and that's the same basic safety

 

[mrsap]

I'm so so sad to hear about this. I cannot even imagine what this family is going through right now. My hearts and prayers are with all of them.

I was watching the news this morning and the reporter said there hasn't been an alligator sighting there. But when we stayed at WL two years ago, we (along with everyone on the dock that morning) saw one as we were waiting for the boat. Someone had mentioned they were going to report it, but not sure if anything was ever done.

 

[Gillyrose779]

This news is so tragic and my heart goes out to the poor family involved.

Ignorant me (note I'm in New Zealand and have only been to WDW once before) presumed Seven Seas Lagoon and the other bodies of water within WDW were man-made and therefore never imagined that alligators would be in them so I'm totally shocked. We will be staying at BWV in January. I'm not sure what the body of water that the Boardwalk is on is called but could that have alligators in it too?

Not sure if your question was answered but, yes, I have seen alligators in the lake around BW and BC. I would say 3-4 feet long. I have not seen them on every trip buy they are there.

 

[SoarinSC]

Somebody just posted there are signs to stay out of the water. I think there should be signs saying potential danger Alligators or something. Just honestly not something I would of even thought of!

There should! Disney can't have an attitude of Oh well people should know...they have a responsibility to guests.

Btw, I remember a few weeks back reading that Nile or salt-water crocodiles of some sort have made it into the Florida ecosystem...that's another thing to worry about since from what i've read they tend to be more aggressive.

Found the article http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/21/us/nile-crocodiles-florida-irpt/