2 Year Old Dragged into Water by Gator at Disney Resort

[Anonymous]

oh I'm so so happy we planned our vacation to go to Orlando... (sarcasm)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I always thought those lagoon beaches were gross. Why would you set up a beach for kids to run around on next to an alligator infested lagoon. The Disney "illusion" is that all is safe. There are no warnings about alligators.

Lots of things have the illusion of being safe. You still need to use your head. I can't believe people want a warning about alligators in FLORIDA.

How many times does this bear repeating? PEOPLE FROM OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY ARE SIMPLY IGNORANT OF ALLIGATOR BEST PRACTICES.

This is not something we are taught in the Northeast, Midwest, or West coast. I know about alligators and to stay away from them. But I had no idea that they eat in the evening, that they could be lurking next to a white sand beach on a seemingly "safe" Disney property that they encourage families to use, that they could snatch a toddler in only a few inches of water. Parents from Nebraska will not know any of this. I'm well educated, an Eagle Scout and very outdoorsy (love to hike, camp, surf, etc) and I did not know about these rules. Absent information about gators lurking nearby, I'd probably let my kids dip their toes in the water at this "beach" given the setup.

Disney did not properly communicate the risks.

Well, then you're an idiot. If you're visiting an area, you should always learn about the dangers, what to avoid, what to expect, etc.

Seriously, STFU troll. You're basically calling the parents idiots, too.

Families pay LOTS of money to stay at the Disney resort because they want a safe, hassle-free experience. When they go camping in the Everglades, they realize that they need to take more precautions. Families let their guard down and do not have a defensive mindset when they are on a Disney resort property. In fact, I would argue that Disney encourages people to relax their defensiveness.

This. You are absolutely encouraged to go down by the lake and frolick while watching the boat parade, fireworks, movie, etc. I have been there many times and kids are always wading and running and splashing around the edge of the water. Grand Floridian especially, is an idyllic place. It's upscale and perfect seeming. When we go it feels like we're in a Rockwell painting come to life. No one is ever hanging out there thinking...gators. It could have happened to anyone.

Everyone doing it did not save this child so that's not a good reason to do something unsafe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are signs in the Lake that says "no swimming"

Yup. And they're spaced pretty closely apart - like 20 feet? You can see 2 signs in this picture.

Again folks, that sign does not imply that you: 1) cannot wade in the waters' edge, or 2) there are alligators in the water.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:Pictures of the area. This was a tragic mistake, but the child should not have been playing in a foot of this water. The moment the child was heading towards it, the parents should have intervened. It's a sad mistake all around, but this is obviously not play-able water area.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3642167/Two-year-old-child-dragged-water-alligator-near-Disney-s-Grand-Floridian-resort.html

That water looks scary during the day (too dark to see what's lurking), let alone at night.

And there are lot of clear signs. I realize the parents probably just wanted to relax and let their guard down, but the moment their child was heading towards the grassy/rocky division between the sand & the water, they should have pulled their child back.

It is obviously not wading area. It's obviously not where a young child should be[u]. It's a sad mistake, but I don't think the resort should be blamed. All parents make mistakes and I have sympathy for them, but it does sound like they were not paying attention.

It's not? It's shallow water, on a family beach, at a safe family resort, that does not say, "No wading," where there are resort-sponsored movies and bonfires. That says, "It's ok to wade," to me.

It's not shallow water. There are signs spaced closely apart that say "no swimming, steep drop off." You have to be pretty dim to think that means it's ok to wade. And no, that seems obviously like water you should not be dipping into - drop off, gators, or just grossness.

There are activities on the beach. There are not water activities. One does not mean the other is ok.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are signs in the Lake that says "no swimming"

Yup. And they're spaced pretty closely apart - like 20 feet? You can see 2 signs in this picture.

You know what I don't see on this sign? "Gators in water. Beware."

Really? You must be either a lawyer or an Clinton supporter (definition of what "is" is)...

Gators are mobile and come and go from lakes all over Florida looking for food. No swimming means don't go into the water!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How have they not found the boy yet?

The ugly truth is that the Gator may have eaten him. They don't normally actually eat people - the bite can kill, but they rarely actually eat people - but this was a small child.

I'm amazed at the people asking how a Gator got into the lagoon. We have two gators (that I know of) in the man made retention pond in our back yard. Wildlife control will relocate them when they reach 6 feet. Every house on our lake has kids. The kids are outside all the time and know not to play in the water. I worry more about the water moccasins than about the gators.

It's been said so many times in this thread - In Florida you assume all fresh water has gators.

Even worse - the gator may hide or store the body in its' nest or buried underwater to let it rot a bit. They do that a lot with fresh kills or larger kills.

I don't think people realize how fast and silent gators can be. They can come up on you in less than a foot of water, grab your legs, pull backwards and roll, to drown you or to then get to your neck. They take pets all the time, and even larger animal like deer. In the dark, this was probably almost over before the parents even knew what was happening. I feel so terrible for them.

Exactly. Alligators/crocodiles scare the shit out of me and I stay away from them. I don't think people have enough respect for nature.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are signs in the Lake that says "no swimming"

Yup. And they're spaced pretty closely apart - like 20 feet? You can see 2 signs in this picture.

Huh? I see two signs on what is easily 150 to 200+ feet of beach front.
The signs say nothing about wading/dipping your toes or alligators. We already know from many people on here that people take off their shoes and dip their toes in the water of the lake quite frequently.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are signs in the Lake that says "no swimming"

Yup. And they're spaced pretty closely apart - like 20 feet? You can see 2 signs in this picture.

Again folks, that sign does not imply that you: 1) cannot wade in the waters' edge, or 2) there are alligators in the water.

On what planet does "steep drop off" mean "ok to wade?" The two are completely correlated. It means no walking into the water, because THERE IS A STEEP DROP OFF. No walking = no wading. How is that not obvious?!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are signs in the Lake that says "no swimming"

Yup. And they're spaced pretty closely apart - like 20 feet? You can see 2 signs in this picture.

Again folks, that sign does not imply that you: 1) cannot wade in the waters' edge, or 2) there are alligators in the water.

TBH, that body of water doesn't even look like it has an edge to be waded in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I always thought those lagoon beaches were gross. Why would you set up a beach for kids to run around on next to an alligator infested lagoon. The Disney "illusion" is that all is safe. There are no warnings about alligators.

Lots of things have the illusion of being safe. You still need to use your head. I can't believe people want a warning about alligators in FLORIDA.

If Yellowstone and Yosemite can go to great extent to warn people about wild animals in a wilderness park where one of the main attractions is to see animals in the wild then, yes, a company attracting visitors from all over the world to Florida should know they should provide warnings about alligators!

Not really comparable.

Also, Yellowstone only added more explicit signs about geyser and thermal pool danger (with illustrations and specifics) after the death of a child in 1970. Their warnings have changed and increased over the years in response to deaths and injuries.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are signs in the Lake that says "no swimming"

Yup. And they're spaced pretty closely apart - like 20 feet? You can see 2 signs in this picture.

How hard would it have been to add "Alligators" to that list. Or say "stay out of water" instead of "no swimming." I've been to that beach and kids are regularly wading and splashing in the water with resort staff around and never seen any of them intervene to stop it. It is quite reasonable to assume based on that sign that "swimming" = swimming. Not wading.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are signs in the Lake that says "no swimming"

Yup. And they're spaced pretty closely apart - like 20 feet? You can see 2 signs in this picture.

Again folks, that sign does not imply that you: 1) cannot wade in the waters' edge, or 2) there are alligators in the water.

On what planet does "steep drop off" mean "ok to wade?" The two are completely correlated. It means no walking into the water, because THERE IS A STEEP DROP OFF. No walking = no wading. How is that not obvious?!

Finally, a voice of reason.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are signs in the Lake that says "no swimming"

Yup. And they're spaced pretty closely apart - like 20 feet? You can see 2 signs in this picture.

Huh? I see two signs on what is easily 150 to 200+ feet of beach front.
The signs say nothing about wading/dipping your toes or alligators. We already know from many people on here that people take off their shoes and dip their toes in the water of the lake quite frequently.

Wading means you're walking in. The sign clearly warns of a steep drop off, which would only be relevant if you're walking in. The sign directly is warning against wading by very simple logic.

Some of you really have no thinking capacity and need everything to be explained literally, one thing at a time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are signs in the Lake that says "no swimming"

Yup. And they're spaced pretty closely apart - like 20 feet? You can see 2 signs in this picture.

Huh? I see two signs on what is easily 150 to 200+ feet of beach front.
The signs say nothing about wading/dipping your toes or alligators. We already know from many people on here that people take off their shoes and dip their toes in the water of the lake quite frequently.

Wading means you're walking in. The sign clearly warns of a steep drop off, which would only be relevant if you're walking in. The sign directly is warning against wading by very simple logic.

Some of you really have no thinking capacity and need everything to be explained literally, one thing at a time.

Exactly. Can't believe people need an itemized list of shit not to do, otherwise they're going in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Disney should install electric shocking diodes in the water and every hour clear the beach to shock and kill anything in the water. It's disney damnit where everything is supposed to be pretend and safe.

And then once/hour have dead fish and snakes and turtles and alligators all bubbling up to the surface and floating on top of the water? That is so disturbing. A terrible mental image.