Child pulled into water by alligator near Grand Floridian

[Opie100]

This, in my opinion, is a silly distinction.

Not so much after last night.

 

[ShirikiUtundu]

http://wqad.com/2016/06/15/alligator-attacks-toddler-at-lagoon-at-disney-hotel/

Here is a news article with a picture of the signs posted.

 

[Hopefully]

I have read the whole thread. My thoughts:

This is a tragedy caused by an unfortunate Accident. My prayers are with this family.

Neither the family nor Disney are to blame. It was an Accident

 

[luv disney]

I have to respectfully disagree with many of the posts blaming family. I am a strict rule follower and usually blame the parents for negligence. However I also feel it is a bit unclear about how dangerous the water can be- especially when there are tourists from different regions of the US/world who aren't familiar with Florida gators. I personally think no swimming is different than no wading/do not enter water...I wouldn't have thought rinsing my feet would be a risk.

I'm not from the South but common sense tells me they're gators there and you need to educate yourself when going to Florida or on any vacation.

 

[Poohsmommi]

I saw my first alligator at Caribbean Beach a few years ago and I was shocked and terrified. I thought, "what is an alligator doing in this small, man-made body of water? Don't alligators live in natural lakes and swamp land? I'm not exactly "roughing it." I am at a Disney resort in Central Florida. Turtles and fish and birds, yes. But, an alligator???" I'm an intelligent person who-- because of where I'm from (the midwest)-- was ignorant about the prevalence of alligators in Disney World. I thought that the alligator I saw was a fluke and would, naturally, be removed for fear of guest's safety. This isn't a public beach. This is private property where Disney hosts guests from around the world. If there's known, territorial predators on their property, they have a responsibility to notify guests so they can protect their safety. There's a difference between that and putting up a sign for every crack in the sidewalk.

People have a responsibility to use their own head and think! This is FLORIDA. Good grief - any body of water here has gators in it. People can't be this stupid!!

 

[Monorail Bob's dd]

I know. On another board I am on, someone posted a sign that just said steep drop-off, deep water, no swimming. I was pretty sure that signs flat-out said no swimming or wading, not just don't swim in deep water. I was wondering if anyone had pictures of the actual signs posted at the GF beach.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Not so much after last night.

You just made my point.
I can't believe some would differentiate between the two.
That's like saying if you're going straight down the highway with the cruise control on you're not driving.

MG

 

[Poohsmommi]

Agreed, but at the same time, the gator population in FL is out of control. Bottom line is that they are a
nuisance and something needs to be done.

Yes, something needs to be done ... people need to learn to READ and use common sense. Who puts a 2-year old in a man-made lake in Florida?! What moron does that??

 

[book_junkie]

They'll go in any body of water. There's more than one reason why most pool owners here have big screens around their pool areas. Do a search for gators and pools.

 

[cyndik1111]

He who is without sin, cast the first stone.

Let's all admit, we've made mistakes as parents. The vast majority of the time, no harm. You breath a sigh of relief and thank the heavens that nothing bad happened. You got lucky.
This poor family made a mistake, one they will have to live with for the rest of their lives. This is horrific on so many levels!
Our instant reaction is to immediately find fault in what the parents did. A coping mechanism that makes us feel better...."this would never happen to me because I know better, or I wouldn't have done that."

Take an honest look at yourself and realize we all are capable of a momentary lapse in judgement. A child died a horrific death and his family has to live with this forever.
My heart bleeds for them.

Humans are capable of many emotions- let compassion be your first and most abundant.

 

[tarak]

Really, what's the difference?? How fast you flap your arms?
Is the traveling public that stupid they need this clarification?

MG

Yes and it is not a matter of semantics. These words have separate and distinct definitions. One means to move through water with your hands and feet and the other means walking through water. Just because both involve water does not make the activities identical.

As someone else posted on this or another thread, this family will never un-see their child being dragged away by an alligator. Whether the sign should have been sufficient to keep them out of the water is pretty irrelevant in the face of that.

 

[asta]

Apparently you didn't see the recent video of the 15 foot gator that lives on a Florida golf course. If you are in Florida, you are in the alligators natural habitat. No matter where you are.

I saw that video and it was one of the most frightening things I have ever seen. That gator was huge! It looked like some kind of prehistoric animal, liked it belonged with the dinosaurs.

 

[Poohsmommi]

As someone else posted on this or another thread, this family will never un-see their child being dragged away by an alligator. Whether the sign should have been sufficient to keep them out of the water is pretty irrelevant in the face of that.[/QUOTE]

Common sense would have saved that kid's life.

 

[sotoalf]

Agreed, but at the same time, the gator population in FL is out of control. Bottom line is that they are a
nuisance and something needs to be done.

Like what? Shooting them? Trapping them? Removing them? Disney and Fish & Wildlife do all three. Even when gators were endangered, they still showed up in canals and pools. Remember: we're the species intruding, not the gators. That's why WDW has bears, wild boar, turkeys, and snakes.

 

[Poohsmommi]

I know. On another board I am on, someone posted a sign that just said steep drop-off, deep water, no swimming. I was pretty sure that signs flat-out said no swimming or wading, not just don't swim in deep water. I was wondering if anyone had pictures of the actual signs posted at the GF beach.

I don't have a picture, but it's a sign of a swimmer in a circle with a line through it, and above that it says "No Swimming".

 

[tarak]

Common sense would have saved that kid's life.

So sayeth the armchair parent.

 

[wilkeliza]

As someone else posted on this or another thread, this family will never un-see their child being dragged away by an alligator. Whether the sign should have been sufficient to keep them out of the water is pretty irrelevant in the face of that.

Common sense would have saved that kid's life.[/QUOTE]


You don't know that with 100% truth. Common sense may not have saved that child's life. If the gator was hungry the family could have just been sitting on a beach chair looking at the castle and the child could have been taken off. Gators are quick and Seven Seas Lagoon is very very dark. It is almost a miracle that this hasn't happened before.

I for one am not going to blame the parents or Disney. A child is dead and a family saw it and could do nothing to stop it. A sign or common sense or whatever will not stop a gator. Sometimes really really crappy stuff happens in life and there is nothing we could have done to change it. This is one of those cases. Unless they 100% block off all of Disney's land (which is almost impossible) then there will always be a possibility of a gator attack.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Bottom line is that you also have to account for language. Not every visitor is English native. The NO SWIMMING icon is a pictogram.

There is not a clear NO WADING icon that extends across language barriers.

 

[Lynne M]

Folks, I very much want to keep this thread open for everyone to express their grief, talk about their concerns, and offer their thoughts, condolences and prayers.

But if this turns into a parent-shaming fest, it's done. Those people have suffered a punishment far greater than anyone could devise for them, and their sentence will never end. There's no point to trashing them here.

 

[Barca33Runner]

No judgment on anyone involved. It's a terrible tragedy, but there is no way to know that it could have been prevented by any of the parties involved. The fact Disney has existed this long without such an incident occurring is either affirmation of the incredibly unlikely nature of this event or an indication they have had a nearly unbelievable run of good fortune.

Prayers for the family and all those directly affected by the tragedy.

I'm a little surprised at the number of people who did not realize it is not possible to completely eliminate alligators from large bodies of water in Florida, even at a place like Disney. Obviously this is going to lead to some changes to some things at Walt Disney World and specifically the beach areas; I hope the changes achieve the goal of preventing another tragedy of this measure.