From the OS: Gator drags child into Seven Seas Lagoon

[wsmith1978]

Until now, most of us wouldn't have thought twice about letting kids splash in the water. These people were from the middle of the country. They don't have to worry about alligators like people in Florida do. Heck, I live on the banks of one of the biggest lakes in my southern state and I don't even think about it. We certainly have them here. It's easy to arm chair parent after the fact, but the reality is that the vast majority of on property guests have no earthly clue that the native fauna poses such a threat. This is a horrible freak accident. I can only imagine that the parents of this poor child are in the darkest parts of their minds right now going over and over the same exact arguments some of us are making against them.

You are so right. My gut reaction to this was to lash out at the parents for allowing this to happen, but the simple fact is that all it takes is a split second lapse in judgment for a horrible tragedy like this to occur. I feel so horrible for those parents. They not only have the entire world judging their parenting abilities right now, but they have to live with all of this (the what if's, the image of their child being pulled into the water, and the grief) for the rest of their lives. So incredibly sad.

 

[EngineJoe]

Parent-blaming is our new national passtime.
It's fun, and anyone can do it!
Best of all, when it's done you feel good about yourself, because you just proved that you're a better and wiser person than someone else!

Disney and big org blaming is also a national pastime. It feels good to blame the big guy even though they are doing everything possible to ensure safety on something that happens 100 times less than being struck by lightning.

 

[tribbleorlfl]

Parent-blaming is our new national passtime.
It's fun, and anyone can do it!
Best of all, when it's done you feel good about yourself, because you just proved that you're a better and wiser person than someone else!

This situation is not one of them, but there are some parents and situations that absolutely call for ridicule and shaming.

 

[networkpro]

This is a horrible freak accident.

Not a freak accident. There were three documented ones last year in Florida. Now they are systematically hunting every alligator in the Seven Seas lagoon and gutting them looking for body parts.

 

[Phicinfan]

Well then we agree to disagree. If you believe it is good judgement to let your kid swim or wade in water that is literally infested with gators then we will never see eye to eye on this issue.

Okay lets really put as much fact as we can in this...

Per multiple reports:

It was during the beach movie, so the family was all together to share in the movie, so why go to a pool?
Second, the child was young, got disinterested, and wandered by the water
Thirdly the parent were there, and the father was a few feet away watching the child.
The Child had at least one foot in the water, not deep, and was walking the edge.

I am one of the most conservative parents I know, and THAT is not swimming or wading, it walking a water edge. I am not from Florida, I DO know there are gators, and I do know they are around Disney. I would NEVER have thought this might happen. I can tell you neither did Disney...why? Cause there would be NO beaches or movies or activities near the water if they really thought this would happen. Lets add to the fact this is a family from Nebraska, and it probably isn't new for them to have a child walk the edge of a body of water.

So can we PLEASE now stop bashing the parents and Disney for this. It was a horrible event, unexpected by all. I can't see what possible good it does to blame anyone or anything on this horrible accident. Instead, we must learn from this, and figure out the best way to avoid it in the future.

 

[LukaLand]

Just a note for people getting upset about the gators being killed. By Florida state law, all nuisance alligarors over 4 feet in length are automatically killed. Disney isn't relocating ANY Alligators that they trap. Unless they choose to house them in a zoological setting, which isn't practical at all due to how many they have.

 

[JohnD]

Good point. Aren't there scenes in the ride of alligators (or crocodiles...whatever) surrounded by clothing or something? My memory is a little fuzzy on this ride. Interesting to see how this is handled as well.

There might be Jungle Cruise jokes about alligators or crocs that they could temporarily remove from their script. KS points out the crocs (no reason to make a distinction about species in this context). If there is a joke about don't fall in, you could be a tasty meal or something like that, they might as well not say it.

 

[wsmith1978]

But I will say, personally speaking, I live in PA (no alligators here) and even when I'm watching the water pageant from the shore of the Wilderness Lodge, I keep one eye on the waterline because you just never know what's lurking in the dark. I always cringe when I see kids playing that close the water at night, especially when their parents are too far away to react as quickly as they'd need to. Not everyone thinks about those things, though, and I guess you really can't blame them for it.

 

[thomas998]

while I don't blame the parents or Disney for that matter... personally I wouldn't trust wading in a lake in my home state at night, much less in Florida... I think that is where some people are coming from..... but I will say Disney makes the "beaches" appear so inviting, of course people will dip their toe in there

I think the early days of WDW you could go swimming in the lake.... Of course in the early days the alligator was a rare problem as they were an endangered species that might have gone extinct. I also have to wonder if prior to the alligator being a protected species did Disney try to kill the suckers in the lake to keep the area safe?

If anything needs to be done, Disney should aggressively work to eliminate the alligators from their property. They aren't protected anymore and the are really a problem in many parts of Florida. We've considered some overnight camping in parts of Florida over the years but end up deciding against it because the alligators make it a risk I'm not willing to take.

I just hope Disney decides to eliminate the gators and not everything else like removing beaches.

 

[21stamps]

I agree. Sadly it would seem that not enough are aware of the truth in this statement and they need to be

What has become alarmingly clear in the wake of this is the lack of awareness amongst some of the potential dangers posed by the local wildlife in Florida. Just listening to some of the things said on television here in the UK and reading comments posted on news stories covering this tragedy has shown just how oblivious some people are. When you're reading comments along the lines of "what are aligators doing in a lake at a Disney hotel" then it's clear there's an issue here, a pretty basic lack of understanding of the habitat in which WDW is located and the consequential need to be vigilant. It's quite scary to hear people talking about how they were at WDW recently and let their children go into that lagoon and other natural bodies of water without giving any thought to the possible danger in doing so.

Disney has to do something to address this in some way, whether it's by putting up more signs, having hotel staff warn guests checking into the resort or placing pamphlets in rooms for guests to read through. Just something to raise some awareness in those people who might have never been to Florida before, who might have no idea of the danger they could unknowingly put themselves in.

If you do not know that gators are in Florida and choose to travel there you can not blame anyone else. It is not the responsibility of ANY hotel, resort, theme park to do research for you. And as has been made clear by a few of us- we KNOW that there are alligators in fresh water, yet we still allow are children to go near a body of water. Not because we are irresponsible, but because the thought or probability of this actually happening is so extremely RARE.

The photos that I posted of the crocodiles in Costa Rica, no one "warned" me about them. The same way a Beaches resort isn't going to send you literature and warnings that you could possibly be attacked by a shark if you swim in the water in front of their beach.

 

[GhostHost1000]

I think the early days of WDW you could go swimming in the lake.... Of course in the early days the alligator was a rare problem as they were an endangered species that might have gone extinct. I also have to wonder if prior to the alligator being a protected species did Disney try to kill the suckers in the lake to keep the area safe?

If anything needs to be done, Disney should aggressively work to eliminate the alligators from their property. They aren't protected anymore and the are really a problem in many parts of Florida. We've considered some overnight camping in parts of Florida over the years but end up deciding against it because the alligators make it a risk I'm not willing to take.

I just hope Disney decides to eliminate the gators and not everything else like removing beaches.

It's Florida you can't eliminate the gators and make it 100% safe

 

[Kylo Ken]

Such a tragedy. As a father of a two year old, I can't even begin to imagine the heartache this family is going through. It doesn't matter whether he had a toe in the water or was knee-deep. It doesn't matter who is at fault or who should be blamed for this awful occurrence. A family has lost an irreplaceable member and that should not be lost in all of this.

 

[mousefreak]

My prayers are with the family during this tragic event and pray the recovery team safely finds the child.

 

[Eeyore]

Okay lets really put as much fact as we can in this...

Per multiple reports:

It was during the beach movie, so the family was all together to share in the movie, so why go to a pool?
Second, the child was young, got disinterested, and wandered by the water
Thirdly the parent were there, and the father was a few feet away watching the child.
The Child had at least one foot in the water, not deep, and was walking the edge.

I am one of the most conservative parents I know, and THAT is not swimming or wading, it walking a water edge. I am not from Florida, I DO know there are gators, and I do know they are around Disney. I would NEVER have thought this might happen. I can tell you neither did Disney...why? Cause there would be NO beaches or movies or activities near the water if they really thought this would happen. Lets add to the fact this is a family from Nebraska, and it probably isn't new for them to have a child walk the edge of a body of water.

So can we PLEASE now stop bashing the parents and Disney for this. It was a horrible event, unexpected by all. I can't see what possible good it does to blame anyone or anything on this horrible accident. Instead, we must learn from this, and figure out the best way to avoid it in the future.

Amen!

 

[DougK]

I sure hope that one or both of the parents aren't members of this forum and come back and read some of the comments.

I get your point but something tells me the even if the parents are fans of this forum it may be quite awhile, if ever, until they come here to WDW Magic again. I think their interest in WDW will not be what it once was. Walt Disney World is no longer a happy place for them.

 

[EngineJoe]

I really can't believe some of the messages I'm seeing on facebook about removing all wildlife from Disney parks and resorts.
Species wise, we seem to be the most dull minded when it comes to the world. People tend to forget that we have crafted our living and relaxation environments out of nature. Everything from bugs and birds to bobcats and moose will remind us of this fact on a daily basis, and yet it doesn't sink home.We are guests in their environment, not the other way around.

This was a tragedy. I don't want to lessen the sadness of the event, but I do hurt worse for the family of the boy who was hit by a Disney bus in Fort Wilderness as well as the driver.

And as soon as Disney kills all the wildlife these same peope will be raising Cain at how evil Disney is.

 

[thomas998]

I don't know that it makes much difference either way, but the reports are still a little confusing on this point as to whether the child was a foot into the water, or in a foot of water.

The fact that he was in the water at all very likely attracted the gator. It would have felt the vibrations in the water and been attracted to the area because of them. Yes a gator might come out and get someone on dry land, but it is much more likely to happen to someone splashing in the water. If there is anything wrong with the signs at Disney it is that they don't simply say, "Stay out of the water" because too many people think will it if just say "no swimming" I can still get in it I just can't swim.

 

[Hakunamatata]

I get your point but something tells me the even if the parents are fans of this forum it may be quite awhile, if ever, until they come here to WDW Magic again. I think their interest in WDW will not be what it once was. Walt Disney World is no longer a happy place for them.

Or WDW could be the place where they remember having fun with their lost child and it becomes a focal point for them.

 

[21stamps]

I'm still not wrapping my head around how anyone could blame the parents, especially since its been revealed the kid wasn't actually far out in the lagoon and the dad was right there with him. How were they supposed to know an alligator would jump out of the water and take their child?

I'm sorry, but do you realize how stupid you sound when you say that? Disney cannot move every alligator off property, its built on a swamp. Even if they did, they most certainty would find a way back.

Holy cow.. I actually agree with you today.

 

[bebert]

In today's American we seem to only be reactive and not proactive. At the risk of sounding like a Monday morning quarterback, we should have seen this coming. Attendance continues to increase at WDW but, the space does not. Pressure from PETA and other environmental groups to preserve wildlife means an increase in wildlife.The result is always tragic when human presence and wildlife presence increase in the same space. As a father of 4 (one of which just turned 1), it is impossible to see any good come from this horrible tragedy but, maybe something can that may prevent a future tragedy. I echo what others have said, given the terrorist attack in Orlando and this tragedy, I think large scale changes are coming to WDW. What other choice does Disney have? It will not be the same WDW we are used to seeing.