What places have you been that have a different native ecology?
Now, second question, what do all the poisonous snakes and spiders in that region look like? Did you do your research?
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Alligators captured at Disney doubles
- Thread starter Skyway
- Start date
What places have you been that have a different native ecology?
Now, second question, what do all the poisonous snakes and spiders in that region look like? Did you do your research?
Gatorboy
Well-Known Member
Funny side story on Myakki State Park, the viewing areas for all those gators, we had relatives from up north and a bunch of others snowbirds checking out the gators when one eat a turtle, the crunching sound was scary load and made kids cry. Kids crying isn’t funny but the reactions of disbelief from adults show how dumb people can be
deeevo
Well-Known Member
LOL... nature is mental.
FullSailDan
Well-Known Member
Should they also put up signs saying "Warning: Water moccasins!" or "Warning: Bees!" or "Warning: Black Widows" or "Warning: Mosquitoes may have West Nile/Malaia/encephalitis/Zika" or "Warning: Squirrels may have rabies" or how about an all encompassing, "Warning: EVERYTHING WANTS TO KILL YOU IN FLORIDA!". If so, I can't believe no one has sued yet!
Disney does not exist in a bubble or control the natural environment. Disney does not encourage people to swim in the lakes on property. We take risk every time we walk outside. Or even every time we walk inside. Things exist that can harm us, survival of the fittest/smartest/fastest/etc is real.
matt9112
Well-Known Member
if you have NO IDEA that gators live in Florida than yes save your vacation money and spend it on some education. you don't need to research or be a rocket scientist to know. it's famous enough.
Pixieish
Well-Known Member
They had no swimming signs - that in and of itself should be enough to keep people away from and out of the water. But apparently, because there was no reason listed...
Seriously. I'm of the mindset that if they tell me to not swim, that means stay away from the water. It's not up to me to decide that I need to be given a reason or I won't obey signage.
bhg469
Well-Known Member
And even more teeth
All they had was no swimming signs. On a white, clean, sandy beach. A beach that they have parties on and put out lounge chairs. What makes you think "no swimming" means "stay far from the water's edge" when everything else invited people to get close to the water's edge?
A crocagator is just as capable of grabbing a child on dry land near the water's edge as grabbing one wading in the water. Disney invited you to get near the water and only had a tepid, uninformative sign to not go in.
Prince-1
Well-Known Member
One, it’s pretty ignorant to think that people from all over the world would know about gators living in Florida. They don’t. And two, even if people know about gators they may not know that they live in the lakes that are everywhere throughout WDW and pose a real danger to them.
21stamps
Well-Known Member
Newsflash- millions of people walk near/wade/ or swim in freshwater in Florida.
Some people even have freshwater in their backyards (GASP!)
Some people swam at Disney as children or adults (another news flash- alligators still existed then)
Hopefully this thread doesn’t renew the “But the sign didn’t say..!!” talks again.
Thank you for living in reality.
Whoever mentioned hunting earlier- I’m in 100% agreement.. just end the lottery and let people hunt, with a license. I think that’s been close to happening for a long time, hopefully it will happen sooner rather than later.
Gators and Pythons, set an extra long hunting season. Kill as many as possible. Pythons should be year round hunts without restrictions.
Some people even have freshwater in their backyards (GASP!)
Some people swam at Disney as children or adults (another news flash- alligators still existed then)
Hopefully this thread doesn’t renew the “But the sign didn’t say..!!” talks again.
Thank you for living in reality.
Whoever mentioned hunting earlier- I’m in 100% agreement.. just end the lottery and let people hunt, with a license. I think that’s been close to happening for a long time, hopefully it will happen sooner rather than later.
Gators and Pythons, set an extra long hunting season. Kill as many as possible. Pythons should be year round hunts without restrictions.
Pixieish
Well-Known Member
@MisterPenguin It certainly is (but far less likely from what I recall after decades of learning about nature - starting with, of all things, the Disney nature specials when I was but a wee lass in the 1970s), but what happened last year was extraordinarily rare (there are approximately an average of 7 unprovoked alligator attacks per year, but a population of 1.3 million alligators) and it was an unfortunate "perfect storm" of conditions that led to that incident. The time of day, location on the lake, location of the child, etc. all led to a horrific tragedy. Having never experienced an alligator attack on its property before (that I could find a record of), I feel that Disney handled the situation as well as they possibly could have and considering how rare actual attacks are, that Disney has and is continually investing so much in preventing tragedies like this in the future are actions that should be applauded.
However, I think we're (both here and in society in general) losing sight of something very important here. We ALL need to take responsibility for our own safety, choices and actions. Why is it so hard for people to say "Darn, it was really stupid of me to try to get out of a boat while it was still moving...my bad"? Instead, they find a way to point the finger at the boat operator and sue. We've become such a litigious society that we refuse to accept the blame for our own stupidity and expect the law and government to step in and protect us from ourselves or to reward us after-the-fact. As a species, we are extraordinarily dumb and narrow-minded, and I really think it's a little ridiculous to expect Disney to have had alligator signage warning of something they'd never had to deal with before in the 45 years WDW had been operating prior to the incident.
In my home-town last year, some out-of-towners came to our local pond, and while it is CLEARLY stated as you enter the park area that surrounds the pond that inflatables are prohibited, a man was using one, floated out into deep water, and drowned because it popped and he didn't know how to swim. Is the town responsible for his death? No. My heart broke for his family that was with him that day, but he made the choice on that one. Nor would I hold Australia responsible if I was attacked by a shark while diving on the Great Barrier Reef, or Discovery Cove responsible if my kid got bitten by a dolphin. There is inherent risk in everything we do every day...I think we need to remember that not everything is someone's "fault" and figure out how to deal with it. I also feel that Lane's parents handled their tragic loss with amazing grace and dignity. The Disney online community, however, not so much.
matt9112
Well-Known Member
I reiterate my save your 6k and learn about where your going first.
jaklgreen
Well-Known Member
Count me in as one of those people who does a crazy amount of research on the location that I am visiting. I spend hours and hours online getting information. With the invention of the internet, their really is no excuse not to do your due diligence. We are planning a trip to Hawaii next year. I have been researching it for 5 months already. I even go to google earth and street view the area so that when I go there I am already familiar with where I am at. Part of it is because I love to travel and go to new places and part is a safety issue. I want to be familiar with all aspects of the area I am going. I have also traveled to other countries and have done the same amount of research. I know that if I go to Australia that it is the deadliest place as far as poisonous snakes and insects, etc. Just type in Florida in Google and look at the pictures and you will see alligators, pumas, and snakes. And I don't buy the argument that people do not have time to do research. Everyone has extra time. Just think about how many hours people spend watching sports every year, that is leisure time.
peter11435
Well-Known Member
It's pretty ignorant of people not to research some basic hazards of a foreign (to them) location they are visiting.
networkpro
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- Yes
Some places visitors come from have killed off almost all of the wildlife that once was indigenous, others from places that the wildlife will still eat you.
What puzzles me is I'm originally from the northeast, and way back when I made my first trip to WDW or FL in general. No one had to warn me about gators! I knew they were here and I had to be careful. I've never been to South America but I can tell you they have Pirauna in their waters. I guess my point is do some people go through life with blinders on? To me this should be common knowledge.
es135
Well-Known Member
My first trip to WDW fell a couple weeks after the tragedy occurred. There was an obvious push to add signage throughout the resort to the point where it was almost a bit ridiculous. It seemed like every few feet there was another sign. We go to Disney to escape the horrors of the real world and get caught up in the intricate fictions that the imagineers have crafted. At the same time, we can't forget that those fictions reside in a world that still faces the same threats of the rest of the world. The fact that gators reside in many of the waters of this Florida park should come as no surprise to guests. Just as we adhere to the ride restrictions and security checks, it is our responsibility to be vigilant in regards to the wildlife.
Sir_Cliff
Well-Known Member
I think it's a bit disingenuous to suggest the researching dangerous local wildlife has always been a natural part of planning a Disney theme park vacation. A Walt Disney World vacation is something a lot of visitors would choose instead of, say, hiking through the Australian outback or exploring the Amazon Basin to a large extent because it's packaged as a relatively easy, relaxing, and fun vacation that doesn't requite the kind of research, preparation, or risks that those vacations might require.
That said, I don't think anyone is blaming Disney for the attack. It's more that neither Disney nor probably the vast majority of guests anticipated this happening and that's reflected both in Disney's half-hearted no-swimming signs and in the actions of these parents as well as I'm sure thousands like them over the years.
That said, I don't think anyone is blaming Disney for the attack. It's more that neither Disney nor probably the vast majority of guests anticipated this happening and that's reflected both in Disney's half-hearted no-swimming signs and in the actions of these parents as well as I'm sure thousands like them over the years.
jaklgreen
Well-Known Member
We have been going to WDW for over 20 years. Even back then, and even further back as I was a child in the 70s, we associated Florida with gators. Geez, I wonder why! It is not unreasonable to expect people get out of their little bubble and be aware of their surroundings. There is no excuse for anyone from the USA to NOT know that there are gators in Florida waters. All you have to do is watch your nightly news and you hear about Florida alligators. Just like I know that if I go up north and walk in the woods there are bears. We all should know about the dangers of wildlife. Maybe I have a higher level of self preservation, but I think it is foolish to let down your guard just because you are on vacation.