People swimming/water skiing in the lagoon in 1972

[Goofyernmost]

I stand corrected

If you want even more useless trivia. The soil that they dug out to make the 7c's lagoon is what they built MK on. The utilidors area is actually at the natural ground level and they built up the soil instead of digging out. Why? Because the water table under the ground level is very close to the surface and they didn't want the CM's to have to use scuba gear to get from place to place.

 

[celluloid]

Gators had more fear of people and acitivty. When you remove activity and water sits stagnent with overgrown things that other animals in a chain can survive off of, you have things for gators to eat as well.

 

[FettFan]

It just got me thinking, this is 1972 and I am going to guess that there are likely more gators in the lagoon during this time than today because there probably was less resources to relocate them and no doubt after the park opened they wouldn't have gotten all of them out by any means. So basically this is probably a more gator-infested lagoon but with what seems like more people enjoying the waters than anything we'd see today.

Any reason for this?

Unlike crocodiles, alligators typically go out of their way to avoid people. The human activity on the water kept them away.


And mascots. Gators HATE mascots.

 

[No Name]

So basically this is probably a more gator-infested lagoon but with what seems like more people enjoying the waters than anything we'd see today.

Any reason for this?

The water is now roped off after the 2016 tragic incident. So there are 0 people in the water today. And there were more than 0 people in the water back then. Back when nothing had happened yet and people didn’t think about the danger present.

 

[Master Yoda]

You could ski, parasail, and wakeboard (and presumably swim a bit if you fell while doing those activities) up until Summer 2018.

I guess the chance of a gator attack is lower when you are blasting along at 30 MPH, but people were still allows to be in the lake well after the population started to rebound.

Quite correct. Gators are really not a danger unless you are swimming and even then, the risk is pretty minimal. You honestly stand as much if not more of a risk being close to the shoreline.

 

[Walt Disney1955]

That all put a bit of a squeeze on the places that the Gators and other critters could go, coupled with the brilliant tourist feeding them drew them to the area that once was a good place for water fun. Normally, gators would stay away from people but, the friendly gestures of the guest feeding them was a call to duty for them. Then along came that fungus or whatever it was that was considered a major threat to people in the water and that is what drove most of the tourist out of the lagoon and the gators felt free to wander around again.

This is part of it for sure. I was at a resort off of WDW property near Kissimmee and there was a fence around a pond that had a few gators in it. No big deal, we'd walk out and see them through the fence, they didn't even move. However, there were warning signs to not feed them for those very same reasons. Gators are naturally afraid of humans and if they get fed by them they'll lose that fear and approach them looking for food, and, well, we know how that could end.

If anyone has ever been to Gatorland it is the same sort of issue, except replace the gators with storks which flock there all of the time. They don't mind you feeding the gators, because they are behind fences and are domesticated, but the storks are pretty aggressive there for stealing the food you have in your hand for gators. They say not to feed the storks, but they stalk you there until you do, so...........

 

[Walt Disney1955]

You alligator friendly people are just wrong.

I have alligators in my backyard time to time. They will most likely die of lead poisoning. There is nothing friendly about an alligator. When WDW was built the alligators were going extinct in FLA. and were shot on sight. That's why the lakes were safe.

Another fact is alligators stay near the shore because that is where their food is, they don't go out into a middle of a lake. No food out there for them.

There is no way that people can swim in the same area as alligators, period. Alligators are smart enough to get out of an area if they are harassed and fear for their own well being. Splashing noises just bring theme in to hunt. Human activity in their mind is a meal. If alliagtors are shot at and threaten, they do remember that and will stay out of an area. Same as when a big 12 footer shows up and kill every small alligator in the area. The big ones take a territory and will kill any other male gator in the area period. That's what the big ones do. Little ones understand they need to leave if something might kill them.

I am not one of those people that would grieve the death of an alligator (for example I was not one of those people that cried when Harambe the Gorilla was shot at the Cincinnati Zoo in 2016 for fear of a 4 year old boy getting killed) because I figure it is better them then us, but there are LOTS of people who would. Much more than there would have been in the 1970s. So I am guessing part of the reason they are in the lagoon so much now is that you can't just publicly shoot them these days.

 

[John park hopper]

Coastal SC has a population of gators and for years there was no hunting season now that the population has made a come back SCDNR has a lottery for those who want to hunt gators and it is controlled. Florida is the same way limited number of permits issued. Many years ago when I lived in Lake worth FL I remember a kid was water skiing in Lake Geneva and was attacked by a gator and required many stitches to his abdomen--- may not happen often but does happen

 

[Monorail_Red_77]

I think there are many sides to the gator situation theses days. Back in the day the gator population was smaller. There were more people in the water. Probably those people were not feeding the gators. There was more habitat, not just in WDW property, but all around outside WDW property. Fast forward to now, there are no people in the water which in turn doesn't scare the gators away in addition to people feeding the gators. Not to mention the urban sprawl. Not so much in Disney, but take a look around WDW outside property. Massive development in addition to increased gator population has probably pushed the gators into the swap areas of WDW. There are places I would swim as a kid in Central Florida that I would not swim at today. 1 being gators and 2 the bacteria, which is always there, but it blooms when water temps reach 80+ and you disturb the lake bottom.

The same thing is happening with the Black Bear Population in Central Florida. Development all over in addition to available food (trash cans) in urban areas have caused the bears to invade neighborhoods. FWC (Florida Fish and Wildlife) and trappers have relocated those bears to the Ocala National Forest. So guess what, now those small towns and areas of people that live in and near Ocala Forest have to deal with bears roaming their town and garbage cans. 20 or 30+ years ago I never actually saw a bear growing up. Now there are bear sightings all the time in populated areas.

 

[John park hopper]

What's with all the bobs in The Walt Disney Company? Gee, the least they could do is change up the name of the management sometime...

Do you know who Bob Hope was? he was not in Disney management he was a famous entertainer from the 40's up until 2000 passed away in 2003 at the age of 100

 

[DisneyFreak]

I watched a video of a sort of documentary on WDW from 1972. I liked it, it would have been fun to be there right at the beginning with everything being new. Basically at this time WDW consisted of Magic Kingdom, Polynesian, Contemporary and Fort Wilderness. Also the golf courses. Still a worthwhile resort to visit no doubt. But what I noticed that was highlighted was the swimming on the beaches of the resorts. Or the water skiing. Just casual videos of guests doing both on the resort.

It just got me thinking, this is 1972 and I am going to guess that there are likely more gators in the lagoon during this time than today because there probably was less resources to relocate them and no doubt after the park opened they wouldn't have gotten all of them out by any means. So basically this is probably a more gator-infested lagoon but with what seems like more people enjoying the waters than anything we'd see today.

Any reason for this?

Gators were listed on the Endangered Species List in 1973.

 

[John park hopper]

Gators were listed on the Endangered Species List in 1973.

Put Disney guests on the endangered species list --then the gators can't eat them and we can all go swimming in Bay Lake again

 

[Animaniac93-98]

What's with all the bobs in The Walt Disney Company?

There are three Bobs who are essentially in charge of all design and operational aspects of WDW:

Bob Weis (President of WDI)

Bob Chapek (President of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products)

Bob Iger (boss man of both and the whole company)

 

[FettFan]

There is nothing friendly about an alligator.

I never said they were friendly. I said they tend to actively avoid human activity, especially when that human activity involves zooming around a lake on a large, noisy motor boat.

In fact, while there instances like the child being killed in 2016, the overwhelming majority of gator attacks happen when human beings decide to actively harass the gators.

Gator on a golf course takes someone's arm? It's because that someone tried to grab and move the gator off of the golf course.

Otherwise, gator don't care.

 

[Kobe!!]

You alligator friendly people are just wrong.

I have alligators in my backyard time to time. They will most likely die of lead poisoning. There is nothing friendly about an alligator. When WDW was built the alligators were going extinct in FLA. and were shot on sight. That's why the lakes were safe.

Another fact is alligators stay near the shore because that is where their food is, they don't go out into a middle of a lake. No food out there for them.

There is no way that people can swim in the same area as alligators, period. Alligators are smart enough to get out of an area if they are harassed and fear for their own well being. Splashing noises just bring theme in to hunt. Human activity in their mind is a meal. If alliagtors are shot at and threaten, they do remember that and will stay out of an area. Same as when a big 12 footer shows up and kill every small alligator in the area. The big ones take a territory and will kill any other male gator in the area period. That's what the big ones do. Little ones understand they need to leave if something might kill them.

Steve Irwin, is that you?

 

[BoarderPhreak]

If you want even more useless trivia. The soil that they dug out to make the 7c's lagoon is what they built MK on. The utilidors area is actually at the natural ground level and they built up the soil instead of digging out. Why? Because the water table under the ground level is very close to the surface and they didn't want the CM's to have to use scuba gear to get from place to place.

Unlike over at Epcot, when it rains.

 

[Jon81uk]

I watched a video of a sort of documentary on WDW from 1972. I liked it, it would have been fun to be there right at the beginning with everything being new. Basically at this time WDW consisted of Magic Kingdom, Polynesian, Contemporary and Fort Wilderness. Also the golf courses. Still a worthwhile resort to visit no doubt. But what I noticed that was highlighted was the swimming on the beaches of the resorts. Or the water skiing. Just casual videos of guests doing both on the resort.

It just got me thinking, this is 1972 and I am going to guess that there are likely more gators in the lagoon during this time than today because there probably was less resources to relocate them and no doubt after the park opened they wouldn't have gotten all of them out by any means. So basically this is probably a more gator-infested lagoon but with what seems like more people enjoying the waters than anything we'd see today.

Any reason for this?

Swimming was mainly stopped due to the brain-eating amoeba rather than the gators.

 

[DuckTalesWooHoo1987]

Back in the early 90's characters used to ski alongside the Ferry Boat and I vividly remember Pinocchio doing it.

 

[DuckTalesWooHoo1987]

Unlike over at Epcot, when it rains.

I've felt the need for scuba gear in Tomorrowland between the People Move and the COP actually. LOL! I've seen those drains get super backed up during the more torrential downpours and really cause some pretty deep water right there.

 

[Master Yoda]

I've felt the need for scuba gear in Tomorrowland between the People Move and the COP actually. LOL! I've seen those drains get super backed up during the more torrential downpours and really cause some pretty deep water right there.

No idea what you are talking about.