When did swimming in Bay Lake end?

[Master Yoda]

I don't think you have people actually trying to feed alligators the way they do bears or other wild animals. Alligators tend to stay pretty much out of sight if possible and they aren't going to be tempted to come and eat bread crumbs like a duck or fish. If people do try to feed them then they are nuts. I had a pet one when years ago and you didn't dare feed him in any way beyond simply throwing him the food. The last time I tried to feed him with some food on a stick he leaped up out of the water and ripped the end of the pole I was using off. I have a feeling if people were trying to feed them that you would hear of a lot more people getting bitten.

Unfortunately, people tend to be inherently stupid when it comes to wildlife. They tend to feed any wildlife, be it birds, bears, raccoons, and even alligators. There have been numerous anecdotal reports of people feeding the gators from the bungalows.

The vast majority of problem gators have been fed by humans. It does not take them long to associate humans with food resulting in their loss of the fear of humans. This rarely ends well for the humans and never ends well for the gators.

Alligators euthanized after being fed by people

The practice is illegal because it causes the reptiles to come closer whenever they see humans.

www.usatoday.com

Alligator attacks are on the rise in Florida. Thank humans, scientists say.

As Felicitie Gillette entered the waters of Lake Hernando early Wednesday, there was no way for her to know she'd soon become the latest statistic in an alarming and exceptionally Floridian trend —...

www.tampabay.com

MDWFP - Nuisance Alligators

www.mdwfp.com

Thousands of nuisance alligators removed in Florida

Areas like Orlando, Sarasota, Fort Myers and Naples rank among the highest when it comes to alligator removals, according to data from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the state agency that handles alligator nuisance calls.

www.naplesnews.com

 

[Heppenheimer]

Out of curiosity, wasn't there alligators in bay lake all along? Yes I am aware of that boy getting eaten by an alligator.

I have no particular knowledge of this, but another poster pointed out that when WDW was first built, alligators were a critically endangered species, so they would have been relatively rare at the time. Once protections were in place, the population boomed over the subsequent decades.

 

[larryz]

Amoeba lives in warm lakes and ponds and can also be found in poorly chlorinated swimming pools and drinking water systems

FTFY

 

[John park hopper]

FTFY

Drinking water systems-- now that is scary. My understanding is it has to enter through your nasal cavity, warm water lakes and ponds they say to wear a nose clip keep the water out

 

[Heppenheimer]

Naegleria fowleri - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

FYI

I originally posted an excerpt from a paywall website, but removed because it might have been a terms of service violation.

 

[thomas998]

Drinking water systems-- now that is scary. My understanding is it has to enter through your nasal cavity, warm water lakes and ponds they say to wear a nose clip keep the water out

It has been several years back, but I remember there was a kid at a splash pad in Tulsa or Oklahoma city that died from the amoeba and splash pads don't recirculate water so it would have been from water out of the faucet. As general rule I just try to avoid any non-chlorinated water when the temps get really high.

 

[Deadphish]

I admire how you state something is “not true” as if factual, and then counter with an opinion with no factual basis. Well done.

Almost 20 years passed between the ameoba death and the shut down of the beaches how is that not factual, How can anybody believe that had anything to do with the beaches closing, if they cared about that they would of closed river country and the beaches by 1984. Yes the part about them closing the beach as a budget cut is just an opinion. Closing the beaches saved them a lot of money on maintenance and lifeguards and animal control, did you believe Disney got those services for free, if not then those are also facts.

 

[Bpmorley]

This is just a random detail I've been wondering about. I have distinct memories of swimming in Bay Lake, at the Contemporary in 1981, and at Ft. Wilderness in 1984. My memory didn't invent these, did it? The reasons why Disney no allows lake swimming are obvious now (gators!), but when exactly did they stop it?

We swam in Bay Lake in the mid 70s. So no you did not invent these

 

[LAM378]

I stayed at the Polynesian in 1980 and 1984. One of my coolest WDW memories comes from when we were swimming at the beach there. We were hanging out, and Mickey, Goofy and Donald came water-skiing by, doing tricks. I swear they water skied right into the shore and did a meet and greet, but I was only 8 by 1984, so that memory might not be entirely accurate.

Your 8 year old memory is entirely accurate! I have vivid memories of being around that age, and the characters water skiing right up for meet and greets. Matter of fact, my mom had a big poster in her office of me and my waterlogged siblings posing with Pinocchio and Goofy on the Poly beach. I totally get why they closed off the beaches, and now I wouldn’t dare stick one toe in that water, but those were some awesome Disney touches that you don’t see anymore.

And for those who were wondering about the quiet pools being locked after hours... At Y&BC, the gates will open 24/7. I don’t remember if I scan my Magicband or not, I just know this because the laundry rooms are in the quiet pool areas, and I’ve been in there doing laundry at all hours of the night. I think the same is true at AOA.

 

[DisneyOutsider]

Out of curiosity, wasn't there alligators in bay lake all along? Yes I am aware of that boy getting eaten by an alligator.

Just to clarify, the boy was not eaten by the alligator. He drowned when the gator pulled him under, and likely let go of the boy once he realized it was a small human and not something that Gators actually like.

 

[Victor Kelly]

Does anyone remember Disney's attempt at having people be able to SURF at the Polynesian?

Yup. Not sure if the wave machines have been removed or if they are decomposing on that island.

 

[GinaD613]

Somebody took Dr Oz's advice on Oprah to irrigate their sinuses with a neti pot. Up went the amoeba in the tap water, with fatal results

Always use distilled water! Then the neti pot or sinugator is a godsend. Even better was a balloon sinuplasty.