According to TMZ gator tried to board raft to tom sawyer island

[Missymoe4]

Gate-r crashers

BTW, I was close friends with a CM who worked in ODF (Outdoor Foods) at MK and they had a name for a certain gator that would hang out near one of the food carts...in 2008.

So yes, like others have said it's nothing new or special, it's Florida, but since we're in the instant news gratification society, everything is magnified 1000%

Yes. I had to turn off CNN the other night because they were stretching the truth so far. Magnification to say the least.

 

[ford91exploder]

Not exactly news that there are gators in the Rivers of America, i've seen multiple videos of one just feet away from the Splash Mountain flume after the drop.



There's another video of an alligator trying to climb over the barrier to get inside the flume, with an employee trying to stop it. Video complete with horror movie music added (i won't post it, seems somewhat alarmist and disrespectful in light of the tragedy, you can find it easily enough by searching "alligator splash mountain" in youtube)...

Are there actually openings in the TSI rafts that a gator could get inside?

A small gator the one in the TMZ pic was maybe 2-3 feet long, Big enough for a painful bite but not much more, I've held gators (with a muzzle) that size at Wild Florida

 

[Tod&BigMamaOdie]

And it has got to start with a 100% no tolerance policy for feeding gators. You do it and you just ended your MAGICal WDW vacation. That means new signage, Guests signing mandatory letters at check in to the resorts AND the policy written and placed in park guide maps and resort welcome packages.

Now ... where's my consulting check?

The key will be that Disney will truly have to enforce it. and there will be plenty of tears because people do not read. or comprehend. or think that it applies to them.
You mentioned preventing a tragedy like this from happening again, but I don't see any perfect system that Disney could implement that will fully eliminate the possibility. They can only reduce the probability, which was pretty low to begin with. It's really about Disney being proactive to discourage this behavior and to not be held liable should it happen again.

 

[PhotoDave219]

I have been asked this question a few times privately by other posters and the answer is that I don't know, but I wouldn't doubt it. I know in years past they have cut the budget for pest control. I will never forget it because it coincided with me getting eaten alive by mosquitoes for the first time ever at the MK (after decades of visits without a single bite).

I keep repeating it, but it bears repeating because it is accurate:
1.) Too much loss of habitat;
2.) A rise in gator population (yes, there actually were fewer around in the 70s/80s because they had been hunted to near extinction, but have made a huge comeback);
3.) WDW overbuilding;
4.) ***And this IS the key issue/problem that the media is finally realizing*** Bumpkin Guests feeding gators for fun having no idea how dangerous and illegal the behavior is or not caring;
5.) Disney CMs and management not wanting to offend human dollar signs mixed with the same ignorance as above.

If I were Georgie K (and I know he's a loyal reader/lurker), then I'd print this out and meet with my team and talk about everything that needs to be done to make sure this tragedy is never repeated. And it has got to start with a 100% no tolerance policy for feeding gators. You do it and you just ended your MAGICal WDW vacation. That means new signage, Guests signing mandatory letters at check in to the resorts AND the policy written and placed in park guide maps and resort welcome packages.

Now ... where's my consulting check?

What, were you in their late night meetings last night? Lol

 

[fractal]

Latest photos from TMZ now show Gators inside Splash Mountain!

 

[rael ramone]

I know that these issues with gators are typically dealt with by Florida Fish and Wildlife (and then can be delegated out if need be), but Disney has always had an agreement where they take care of the matter instead of the state agency. Whether that is agreed to with the company or Reedy Creek, I'm not sure.

If FF&W usually does this, why don't they do it in WDW too? Is there a fee for this service? Or are they trying to keep the government out of it? (Perhaps it's time to retire Reedy Creek and disincorporate Lake Buena Vista & Bay Lake and let Orange & Osceola Counties have direct jurisdiction)

I'm wondering if there's another reason that's not related to budget cuts about why they may drag their feet about moving gators. And it goes back to that AP story that mentioned a gator being removed from property and staff threatening to confiscate phones/cameras if guests dare film it:

Animal rights activists.

There's already two conflicting explanations in the news about what happens to gators when they are moved (They are relocated/They are euthanized).

 

[alphac2005]

If FF&W usually does this, why don't they do it in WDW too? Is there a fee for this service? Or are they trying to keep the government out of it? (Perhaps it's time to retire Reedy Creek and disincorporate Lake Buena Vista & Bay Lake and let Orange & Osceola Counties have direct jurisdiction)

I'm wondering if there's another reason that's not related to budget cuts about why they may drag their feet about moving gators. And it goes back to that AP story that mentioned a gator being removed from property and staff threatening to confiscate phones/cameras if guests dare film it:

Animal rights activists.

There's already two conflicting explanations in the news about what happens to gators when they are moved (They are relocated/They are euthanized).

All great points. I was told when we lived down there that they relocated theme to this particular area that was part of the wetlands property, which I believe was the Northwest of the Magic Kingdom.

 

[Walt_Disney]

Why can't Dinsey remove every gator on their 43 sq miles and put up a wall around the entire property to keep any more from entering? Seems like a good solution to me

 

[MerlinTheGoat]

Why can't Dinsey remove every gator on their 43 sq miles and put up a wall around the entire property to keep any more from entering? Seems like a good solution to me

 

[Dead2009]

Why can't Dinsey remove every gator on their 43 sq miles and put up a wall around the entire property to keep any more from entering? Seems like a good solution to me

Yeah, no

The mainstream media has picked up on that TMZ video and said it was from the early 80s. Anyone confirm?

 

[MerlinTheGoat]

The mainstream media has picked up on that TMZ video and said it was from the early 80s. Anyone confirm?

I think not. The sound quality doesn't sound like it would match what you'd hear in an amateur 80's camcorder. And the video is in vertical orientation which indicates someone recorded it from a mobile phone. The video also has a digital appearance, it doesn't look like a film recording at all (an early 80's film would have a very distinct look in coloration, quality and the type of distortion, the TMZ video has nothing to indicate any of this).

I'm not sure why someone would think this was an older video, unless they mistook the rain in the video for the distortion you'd see in film recording (perhaps they were tricked by TMZ's visual effects added to the letterboxing on the sides)...

 

[hokielutz]

So what impact is this going to have for the Jungle Cruise gators?

Remember, Ginger snaps.

 

[hokielutz]

Why can't Dinsey remove every gator on their 43 sq miles and put up a wall around the entire property to keep any more from entering? Seems like a good solution to me

Don't give Trump any new ideas for wall projects.

 

[skimbob]

I have to say in all my trips to WDW since 2010 I have never seen an alligator other than at AK obviously. I have stayed at Riverside the French Quarter and most often at Wilderness Lodge. I know they are there I just haven't seen one and I am not going looking for them. I have seen armadillos but that has been about it. Feeding wildlife at the parks is a big problem. Some of the birds at AK have become aggressive. I find myself having to cover my food at Restaurantsoris or however you spell it.

 

[Hakunamatata]

Latest photos from TMZ now show Gators inside Splash Mountain!

 

[Hakunamatata]

Why can't Dinsey remove every gator on their 43 sq miles and put up a wall around the entire property to keep any more from entering? Seems like a good solution to me

Because crony capitalist want the gators to wreak havoc that the other wild animal population refuses to wreak?

 

[rael ramone]

One other thing they need going forward:

An alligator behavioral specialist on staff / on call at all times.

Any/all gators in any guest area (ROA, SSL, BL, various resort lakes) needs to be assessed, regardless of size.

If the specialist sees it as having being desensitized to the presence of humans, then it needs to be euthanized immediately regardless of size. Don't hope that you'll catch it later... If it's 'normal', then it can be considered for relocation if a suitable place exists.

 

[bethymouse]

 

[BrittanyRose428]

Inside Edition right now (4:00) Eastern, has a whole thing about WDW and how horrible the alligators are. And also pictures of River Country and how that's inviting them to property... what.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

we all know gators love a good slide