Alligator attacks boy at Disney's Grand Floridian..[updated: Searchers recover body of boy snatched by gator at Disney]

[uglybiker]

Alligator attacks boy at Disney's Grand Floridian, deputies say

A 2-year-old boy who was attacked and dragged into the water by an alligator on the shores of Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa Tuesday night was still missing early Wednesday morning.

Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said rescue personnel had been actively looking for the child in the Seven Seas Lagoon for hours in a search and recovery effort but had not found him. They hoped to recover him before daylinght, he said. A dive team with sonar equipment is on standby.


Demings said the Nebraska family of five was relaxing on the shoreline when the alligator attacked the boy. The father entered the water and tried to grab the child from the gator, but was not successful. He had scratches on his hands after the ordeal.

Parents then alerted a nearby lifeguard that an alligator had attacked the boy. Officials estimated it was between four and seven feet long.


more:

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/breaking-news/os-child-dragged-alligator-disney-20160614-story.html

[geronl]

In the past week or so in Florida they found 2 bodies being snacked upon by gators....

overpopulation of gators is likely happening

[Neverdul]

How awful.   

I can’t imagine what the parents and the child’s two siblings are going through right now.  Also the first responders – it’s been one hell of a week in Orlando - literally.

From what I’ve read the 2-year-old boy and his mother were wading in 1 foot of water when the gator suddenly attacked but other reports say that they were on the beach watching the nightly fireworks when the gator came out of the water and dragged the child back into the lagoon.

In any case, both the father and mother went in the water after the child, frantically trying to wrestle him from the gator but were unsuccessful.

The police are calling it a “recovery” effort meaning they know the child is dead. Sadly, there may not be anything left of the child to recover.

In the past week or so in Florida they found 2 bodies being snacked upon by gators....

overpopulation of gators is likely happening

At one time the American Alligator was on the endangered species list:

Historically, hunting had decimated their population, and the American alligator was listed as an endangered species by the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Subsequent conservation efforts have allowed their numbers to increase and the species was removed from the list in 1987. Alligators are now harvested for their skins and meat. The species is the official state reptile of three states: Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_alligator

I suppose that alligators have their place in the ecosystem but it would seem that their population is growing and perhaps it is time for “less conservation”, i.e. more killin’ of them, that might be in order now.

FWIW my now ex-husband and I visited some friends who had moved to Lakeland Florida. At the center of their housing development was a small lake that had a walking path around it. While we were staying there, I would go out for my daily early morning walk/jog but was warned by my husband’s friend – “keep your eyes open for any gators.”

[geronl]

While we were staying there, I would go out for my daily early morning walk/jog but was warned by my husband’s friend – “keep your eyes open for any gators.”

better to stay home and eat ice cream

[Neverdul]

better to stay home and eat ice cream

I did that too.  ^-^

My husband and I also played some golf while we were down there in FL and got the same warning - watch out for gators. We got the same warning when we played golf in Myrtle Beach SC.  FWIW the only time I ever saw a live alligator was in the lagoon where the battle ship the USS North Carolina is kept in Wilmington NC. I was surprised to learn that alligators were that far north.

A few years before we vacationed in Western MD – the Deep Creek area and played some golf. The warning there was to be careful when retrieving balls from areas with thick shrubs or deep grass – but the warning there was not about gators but about Copperhead or Timber Rattle snakes.  There were also warning signs were we stayed, especially near the dumpster warning about black bears.

[mystery-ak]

http://www.newsmax.com/PrintTemplate.aspx/?nodeid=733934


Newsmax
Disney Alligator Attack: Boy Dragged From Family Into Water
Wednesday, June 15, 2016 06:34 AM

By: Clyde Hughes

An alligator at a Disney resort attacked a young boy and dragged him from his family into the water on Tuesday night. Rescue personnel continued searching for him Wednesday morning close to the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa at Lake Buena Vista, near Orlando.

The search for the child was continuing in the Seven Seas Lagoon, off the shore of the resort, Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings told the media, reported WESH-TV.

The child, about 2 years old, was wading in about a foot of water with his father about 9:30 p.m. when the alligator reportedly grabbed him, said WESH-TV.

Demings estimated the alligator may have been from four to seven feet long.

"The father entered the water and tried to grab the child and was not successful in doing so. The mother also may have been in the water. So the parents diligently tried to get the child," said Demings.

"We're going to hope for the best in these circumstances, but based on my 35 years of law enforcement experience, we know that we have some challenges ahead of us at this time," he said.

The vacationing family from Nebraska includes a 4-year-old girl, said CNN.

While there were no warnings of alligators in the area, signs were posted against swimming in the man-made Seven Seas Lagoon, reported the Orlando Sentinel. The resort is an upscale luxury hotel connected via monorail to the Disney World's Magic Kingdom Park, noted the newspaper.

The Sentinel said about 50 searchers from Reedy Creek Fire Rescue, Orange County and Florida Fish and Wildlife looked for the child.

According to CNN, Deming said he had no records of a similar attack happening in that area.

"Everyone here at the Walt Disney Resort is devastated by this tragic accident," Jacquee Wahler, the vice president of the Walt Disney World Resort, said in a statement, per CNN. "Our thoughts are with the family. We are helping the family and doing everything we can to assist law enforcement."

Chad Weber, an officer with the Florida Department of Fish and Wildlife, said his agency has deployed an alligator trapper in its search, said CNN.

"We're putting every effort into locating the child and trapping this alligator," Weber said, according to CNN. "We'll be here with them until there's a resolution."

The incident was the third tragedy in the Orlando area within a week, noted the Sentinel. Singer Christina Grimmie was shot and killed at the Plaza Live after a concert Friday. The gunman killed himself after the shooting.

Then early Sunday, a gunman opened fire at Orlando's Pulse nightclub, killing 49 people and injuring more than 50.

[mystery-ak]

Beautiful hotel.....don't understand how this could happen...there should have been a fence

[goatprairie]

From what I've read about gators, most of the deep southern states have large gator populations.  I wouldn't swim in any of the lakes of rivers down there.

[austingirl]

I cannot imagine the anguish of the parents. Praying for them.

[Just_Victor]

Beautiful hotel.....don't understand how this could happen...there should have been a fence

The area where the child was attacked is actually a beach, imported white sand, sun chairs, and all the rest.  There are numerous "no swimming" signs, but I don't think there are any warnings about alligators.  One would think that being Florida, people would already be aware....

[Neverdul]

Beautiful hotel.....don't understand how this could happen...there should have been a fence

The area where the child was attacked is actually a beach, imported white sand, sun chairs, and all the rest.  There are numerous "no swimming" signs, but I don't think there are any warnings about alligators.  One would think that being Florida, people would already be aware....

As I understand, Disney does have some sort of fencing, a metal screening of some sort that is installed before the shorelines to prevent any of them from getting into the beach areas of the resorts. They also regularly capture or attempt to capture any gator that gets more than 4 ft. long.  But the whole area is built on and surrounded by swamp and marsh land.  This lake is a man-made but connects to/with other bodies of water. It’s pretty much impossible to keep gators out.

The boy and his father were walking along the edge of the water and or only going in ankle deep, not swimming.  The family was from Nebraska and, even if they really understood about the gator danger, mostly likely didn’t think that alligators were a concern at a WDW resort in ankle deep water and with numerous other people around.

I bet that Disney will get much more aggressive about gator control and the no swimming signs will probably have gator warnings added.  My only guess as to why they didn’t before is one; that this was the first gator attack inside the park in 30 years and the first fatality, and two; they probably didn’t want mar their “Happiest Place On Earth” reputation with “But Watch Out For The Man Eating Alligators”.

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

How about parents watch their kids?

[mirraflake]

How about parents watch their kids?

They were. The kid was only 2-3 feet from them in only ankle deep water . Have you ever seen videos how fast alligators snatch their prey? The dad immediately dove in while the alligator was backing up and grabbed a hold of it but could do nothing.

@Weird Tolkienish Figure

[truth_seeker]

Creeping incompetence. Gorilla exhibit at zoo, allowed child to get inside. Gator lake puts people in direct contact. One dead gorilla, on dead kid.

Am I the only one that sees management's use of poor design, as being the cause, for not having adequate barriers and separation?

[Neverdul]

How about parents watch their kids?

I don’t think that’s a fair thing to accuse the parents of in this case. As I understand the child was with his father, they were walking together along the shore and in about or less than a foot of water when the alligator attacked. Unless more information comes to light, this doesn’t seem to be a case where the child wandered off by himself because his parents were not paying attention.

Both parents immediately went in the water to try to save their child and the father sustained injuries while doing so.  I read one account that the parents are inconsolable. Their grief must be unimaginable.

Try as we may to think about how we would have done things differently, the truth is something like this can happen in a blink of an eye.

I had a friend who had a younger sister who was around 3 years old and who was hit by a car and died.  Her mother was holding the child’s hand as they walked down the sidewalk but the child saw a man walking a dog on the other side of the street and in an instant, pulled out of her mother’s grip and ran across the street, presumably to pet the dog.  The mother had a lot of problems coping, blaming herself and for a time became overly protective of her other daughter to the point she barely let her out of the house.

And then there was the driver of the car.  The child ran into the street between two parked cars right in front of him and he had no time to stop in time.  My friend told me that he offered to help pay for the funeral and tried to stay in touch with the family but the mother would having nothing to do with him and some years later, he committed suicide.

[chae]

I'm from Missouri, never lived elsewhere, and I still know "It's a lagoon in Florida, probably a good idea to watch for gators"

[WAC]

They were vacationing.  They're from Nebraska.  What do they know of alligators?

Area was posted "no swimming"...yet the mother had her child with her 'wadding in the water in the dark. .......Disney World itself sits in a Swampland..... and Alligators very common throughout the area, and posted throughout....

Heck I was at a golf course and as we pulled up an alligator was basking next to one of the water ponds there. They are every where...people have to have them removed from their property as well .....

As I see it they should not have been in the water.




Area where the grab took place is in the front area where the lights now show the beach edge.

[WAC]

Beautiful hotel.....don't understand how this could happen...there should have been a fence

There is an underwater wire fence around the lagoon to prevent them from coming onto shore, but on occasion they do go over the wire. It's like this throughout Florida when I lived there. The first thing my brother told me was to be aware that alligators are spotted pretty much everywhere and just to be aware. ...I saw them periodically from golf courts to peoples yards, which is why they have gator patrols and people that move them when they're found where they don't belong.


Even so....the family surely must be shocked and inconsolable after this happening on what was a vacation trip from the north country. They have other children with them as well so this has certainly affected them. Sad day and gut wretching for the family.

[Neverdul]

Area was posted "no swimming"...yet the mother had her child with her 'wadding in the water in the dark. .......Disney World itself sits in a Swampland..... and Alligators very common throughout the area, and posted throughout....

Heck I was at a golf course and as we pulled up an alligator was basking next to one of the water ponds there. They are every where...people have to have them removed from their property as well .....

As I see it they should not have been in the water.

You make some very good points.

However, as I understand, they were not “wading” in the water but walking along the shore and only going in about ankle deep. Perhaps technically they shouldn’t have been in the water at all, but mostly likely and not being Florida natives, they didn’t understand the danger and didn’t think it was going against the “no swimming” sign.

And accounts vary as to whether the child was with the mother or the father when the alligator grabbed the child.

Last September, two weeks after Labor Day, I went with my niece and her four kids to visit my brother and SIL NJ and we went Stone Harbor for the day – one of my favorite beaches.

This was the last weekend where the lifeguards were on duty and they only had one lifeguard stand open.

The lifeguards were very diligent in not letting people go out too far which made sense because of the rip current. But they were also blowing their whistles at and signaling people going into the water to only be in the water right in front of the one lifeguard stand. Again. That made sense.

But I also saw a dad a couple hundred yards up the beach walking with his little son and in only about ankle deep water – not going in or attempting to go in any further in, just walking in ankle deep water and the lifeguards whistled and motioned him to get out of the water.  The dad raised his hands up as if to say WTH?

It was sort of ridiculous IMO.

[RoosGirl]

Beautiful hotel.....don't understand how this could happen...there should have been a fence

[driftdiver]

I did that too.  ^-^

My husband and I also played some golf while we were down there in FL and got the same warning - watch out for gators. We got the same warning when we played golf in Myrtle Beach SC.  FWIW the only time I ever saw a live alligator was in the lagoon where the battle ship the USS North Carolina is kept in Wilmington NC. I was surprised to learn that alligators were that far north.

A few years before we vacationed in Western MD – the Deep Creek area and played some golf. The warning there was to be careful when retrieving balls from areas with thick shrubs or deep grass – but the warning there was not about gators but about Copperhead or Timber Rattle snakes.  There were also warning signs were we stayed, especially near the dumpster warning about black bears.

@geronl

I live in Tampa.  Gators really aren't an issue unless someone feeds them.   Most of the time you won't even see them.   It is not wise to splash around at the waters edge though.   The trouble with ponds like this is the gators become used to people and lose their fear.   I think the parks actually like them because tourists get excited at seeing a real gator.

[driftdiver]

They were vacationing.  They're from Nebraska.  What do they know of alligators?

There are ample warnings.  The ponds have no swimming signs.  These people simply ignored the signs and it cost their son his life.

[Chieftain]

Understand that wading in the water at night means acting like live bait to an alligator.  You might as well dangle a chicken from a string and splash it along the surface. In any case, the alligator acted exactly like an alligator should be expected to act. A good sized gator would have no problem snatching a toddler.  I heard on the radio that they have already trapped and killed four alligators in and around the site with no sign yet of the 2 year old.  They are using side-scan sonar to see if the 'gator snagged the body on a stump underwater. 

On the face of it, this resort faces an enormous liability.  There is no way they are going to get out of this one cheaply.  The longer it takes to locate the body, and the more alligators they catch, the worse this will be.

Sad business.

[driftdiver]

Understand that wading in the water at night means acting like live bait to an alligator.  You might as well dangle a chicken from a string and splash it along the surface. In any case, the alligator acted exactly like an alligator should be expected to act. A good sized gator would have no problem snatching a toddler.  I heard on the radio that they have already trapped and killed four alligators in and around the site with no sign yet of the 2 year old.  They are using side-scan sonar to see if the 'gator snagged the body on a stump underwater. 

On the face of it, this resort faces an enormous liability.  There is no way they are going to get out of this one cheaply.  The longer it takes to locate the body, and the more alligators they catch, the worse this will be.

Sad business.

Imagine the cops and first responders who left that nightclub investigation to come to this scene.   Thats gotta be tough.

[kidd]

The hotel has a beautiful white fine sand beach. It is very inviting.
Dad and kid walked along the clean white sand, splashing their feet in the water.
I've stayed at the adjacent Polynesian, saw the white beach sand next to the water and wouldn't have though twice about wading in the water up to my ankles.

Disney has signs not to swim in the water. Fine, no one was swimming in the water.
The incident happened after 9pm. It was dark out and the signs are not lighted.

In an adjoining body of water, Disney used to have a waterpark (River Country). It operated for 25 years without a gator attack.

My heart aches for the family. I'm sick over this news.
But sometimes bad stuff just happens.