# Alligator drags away 2-year-old boy in Florida **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 15, 2016, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alligator-drags-away-2-year-old-boy-in-florida/757403 "2016-06-15T06:15:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alligator-drags-away-2-year-old-boy-in-florida/757403/41 "2016-06-15T16:37:32Z")
The child could have been killed in a traffic accident driving to the Disney park. Driving is a much bigger hazard than a random gator attack. Gators average 10 bites a year in the the _entire state_. > **[An Alligator Dragged Away a Child Near Disney. But Fatal Attacks Are Rare](https://www.yahoo.com/news/alligator-dragged-away-child-near-132118468.html?nhp=1)** > > An alligator attacked a 2-year-old boy near a Disney resort in Orlando > [@](#): > > But while the alligator population is dense in Florida, fatal attacks are relatively rare. > > The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s records show an average of about 10 bites per year in the state over the last two decades, but from 2008 through 2014 there were no fatalities. Floridians were disturbed by two reported deaths in 2015 (though the commission’s database currently records only one), and in 2006, an alarming three women were killed in the space of a week in May. As TIME reported then, the increase in aggression could have been due, in part, to the animals being particularly territorial during mating season (which takes place in May and June) and because the animals have lost areas of their habitat to human spaces over the years even while their population has grown. > > Still, humans are not typical alligator food. As the executive director of the commission told USA Today, the alligator in the most recent case may have mistaken the boy for a small dog or raccoon. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alligator-drags-away-2-year-old-boy-in-florida/757403/42 "2016-06-15T16:52:57Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > The sheriff just said they’ve switched from a “rescue” to a “recovery” search. > > The last time a wild animal snatched a small child there was [considerable outrage on this board.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=794367) I guess I’m just a cynic, but after 15 hours, where’s the outrage here? Where’s the call for criminal prosecution for the parents for letting their child get away? Where are the cries to close down Disney because they didn’t build a good enough fence to keep the child out of water? Most of all, where are the people claiming that an alligator is [more deserving of saving than a human child](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=19367547&postcount=58)? (Well, that particular poster was banned, but I’m sure there are others.) Really? Even though I don’t agree with those who hold the parents of the kid at the zoo at fault, the differences are obvious. The kid in the zoo climbed through a fence and into a clearly marked area that contained gorillas. The kid at Disney was at a beach on a lake designed for the use of hotel guests, with no indication that there were alligators in the area. Yes there were signs that said “No swimming”, but he was not swimming - he was wading in what could only have been a foot or 2 of water. Plus of course, while gorillas are endangered, Florida alligators are apparently as common as cockroaches. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alligator-drags-away-2-year-old-boy-in-florida/757403/43 "2016-06-15T17:09:26Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > They do. They spend a lot of time and money trapping alligators in the resort lakes and re-homing them out to the unpopulated areas on property. But there are lots of gators, and lots of water for them to move in - and they can cross dry land and roads if they want to. > > Its made worse by people FEEDING the darn things. “Here you adorable prehistoric predator, have some hot dog.” There was a gator in the Yacht and Beach Club canal that they re-homed at least half a dozen times. > > A few years ago a little boy was poking around in the bushes and got bitten by a poisonous snake. It sounds like they need “re-homed” to alligator heaven instead of going to the expense of moving them and have them come straight back. I am usually not very plaintiff-friendly in these kinds of cases, but you have Disney, a multi-national corporation that makes oodles of money, has a park in the middle of a swamp in fucking Florida, you know that little kids come there in droves, and you build a hotel right next to the swamp (sorry “lagoon”) that is teeming with alligators that you have tried and failed to relocate, and all you do is put up a “no swimming” sign?!? I lived in Florida for five years, and I knew to keep children and pets away from any body of water, but I can’t say that I would have had the same fear staying at the nicest hotel in Disney. I would have been almost sure that Disney would have monitored this shit to keep gators away from the park area. And they’ve killed FOUR more of them? This is negligence, almost recklessness. I see a YUUUUGE verdict/settlement here. ---
**Author:** ![Rhodes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhodes/32/273_2.png) [@Rhodes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhodes)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alligator-drags-away-2-year-old-boy-in-florida/757403/44 "2016-06-15T17:13:01Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I visited Brazos Bend State Park in Texas a couple of years ago. They had signs up warning visitors about the alligators and telling people what specific situations were dangerous. I live near there. First time I visited, I saw a gator lunge for a Pomeranian on a leash. But mostly they’re not aggressive. A mother alligator didn’t even flinch once when a toddler tripped on the bank right next to a dozen baby gators. I wonder if TX gators are somehow less aggressive than FL gators. Martin Dies Jr State Park and Huntsville State Park in TX have designated swimming areas in lakes. The gators are mostly in the swamps, but there are some in the lakes. The ranger says the gators avoid the swimming areas because there’s too much human activity. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alligator-drags-away-2-year-old-boy-in-florida/757403/45 "2016-06-15T17:16:51Z")
So, gorilla vs alligator; who do you bet on in a no-holds-barred fight to the death? ---
**Author:** ![Rhodes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhodes/32/273_2.png) [@Rhodes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhodes)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alligator-drags-away-2-year-old-boy-in-florida/757403/46 "2016-06-15T17:20:26Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > So, gorilla vs alligator; who do you bet on in a no-holds-barred fight to the death? Depends. Are they in a swamp or in a tree? ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alligator-drags-away-2-year-old-boy-in-florida/757403/47 "2016-06-15T17:22:05Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > So, gorilla vs alligator; who do you bet on in a no-holds-barred fight to the death? [Extreme Crocball](http://pbfcomics.com/190/) ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alligator-drags-away-2-year-old-boy-in-florida/757403/48 "2016-06-15T17:26:55Z")
OK, I’ll be politically incorrect here. While I feel for the parents and believe that this is horrific and cannot imagine their pain, having a 2 year-old child in foot deep water where signs clearly say no swimming is a teeny tiny bit irresponsible. So blame goes to: 1% parents, 9% Disney, 90% gator. I am sure Disney will pay out a huge amount of money to avoid publicity; that seems to be their MO. ---
**Author:** ![SmellMyWort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SmellMyWort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmellMyWort)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alligator-drags-away-2-year-old-boy-in-florida/757403/49 "2016-06-15T17:37:11Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > The sheriff just said they’ve switched from a “rescue” to a “recovery” search. > > The last time a wild animal snatched a small child there was [considerable outrage on this board.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=794367) I guess I’m just a cynic, but after 15 hours, where’s the outrage here? Where’s the call for criminal prosecution for the parents for letting their child get away? Where are the cries to close down Disney because they didn’t build a good enough fence to keep the child out of water? Most of all, where are the people claiming that an alligator is [more deserving of saving than a human child](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=19367547&postcount=58)? (Well, that particular poster was banned, but I’m sure there are others.) I’m surprised you bothered double posting just to finish such an idiotic post. There is nothing at all similar between the two events. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alligator-drags-away-2-year-old-boy-in-florida/757403/50 "2016-06-15T17:37:18Z")
> [@UltraVires](#): > > I am usually not very plaintiff-friendly in these kinds of cases, but you have Disney, a multi-national corporation that makes oodles of money, has a park in the middle of a swamp in fucking Florida, you know that little kids come there in droves, and you build a hotel right next to the swamp (sorry “lagoon”) that is teeming with alligators that you have tried and failed to relocate, and all you do is put up a “no swimming” sign?!? > > I lived in Florida for five years, and I knew to keep children and pets away from any body of water, but I can’t say that I would have had the same fear staying at the nicest hotel in Disney. I would have been almost sure that Disney would have monitored this shit to keep gators away from the park area. And they’ve killed FOUR more of them? > > This is negligence, almost recklessness. I see a YUUUUGE verdict/settlement here. It’s a man made lake, not an existing swamp. Should they have connected it to canals? Maybe not, but I’m not a civil engineer so I don’t know. Should there have been warning signs that there were gators in the lake? Perhaps, but then you have guests freaking out over safety. It’s not like attacks like this are common at Disney parks. You’re more likely (as mentioned upthread) to get into a car accident. I think this is a horrible story all the way around and it wouldn’t surprise me if Disney settled with the parents for a sum of money, but bottom line, these people were on vacation with their kids and are going back to Nebraska minus one. I doubt they’ll be visiting a Disney park ever again, or stepping foot in Florida. And the death total of the gators is up to nine, according to my co-worker’s husband. ---
**Author:** ![Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jimmy_Chitwood)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alligator-drags-away-2-year-old-boy-in-florida/757403/51 "2016-06-15T17:40:23Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > It’s a man made lake, not an existing swamp. Should they have connected it to canals? Maybe not, but I’m not a civil engineer so I don’t know. Should there have been warning signs that there were gators in the lake? Perhaps, but then you have guests freaking out over safety. Can’t have that. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alligator-drags-away-2-year-old-boy-in-florida/757403/52 "2016-06-15T17:46:11Z")
Hmmmm…maybe [I was wrong](http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/terrified-brit-family-chased-alligator-8197003) about this not being a common occurrence. **Jimmy** , Disney (and Universal and Sea World) are all about creating an image. I’ve been to our local theme parks several times and there’s an atmosphere once you step into the park, that you’re in a magical place. One of the rides at Universal has a metal detector once you get to the top of it, but there are two employees stationed at the bottom warning guests to put their phones and keys in lockers, otherwise they’d be sent down from the top after failing to pass the metal detector. I asked why there wasn’t a sign at the bottom of the ride, and they said that would “distract” from the experience, so these poor high school kids have to repeat the same thing over and over for hours. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alligator-drags-away-2-year-old-boy-in-florida/757403/53 "2016-06-15T17:48:40Z")
A resort employee who didn’t want to be identified said that guests feeding alligators is a problem at the resort. There are two that regularly hang around under the balcony at the Buena Vista Palace looking for handouts. It’s possible that the alligator that attacked the boy could have become habituated to human beings as a result of being fed in the past. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alligator-drags-away-2-year-old-boy-in-florida/757403/54 "2016-06-15T17:59:46Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > Hmmmm…maybe [I was wrong](http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/terrified-brit-family-chased-alligator-8197003) about this not being a common occurrence. > > **Jimmy** , Disney (and Universal and Sea World) are all about creating an image. I’ve been to our local theme parks several times and there’s an atmosphere once you step into the park, that you’re in a magical place. One of the rides at Universal has a metal detector once you get to the top of it, but there are two employees stationed at the bottom warning guests to put their phones and keys in lockers, otherwise they’d be sent down from the top after failing to pass the metal detector. I asked why there wasn’t a sign at the bottom of the ride, and they said that would “distract” from the experience, so these poor high school kids have to repeat the same thing over and over for hours. The Dragon coaster at WWoHP? They told me they couldn’t have the metal detectors at the main entrance right next to the lockers because having a metal detector in plain view would violate their agreement with JK Rowling. ISTR there being a sign though. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alligator-drags-away-2-year-old-boy-in-florida/757403/55 "2016-06-15T18:06:06Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > The Dragon coaster at WWoHP? They told me they couldn’t have the metal detectors at the main entrance right next to the lockers because having a metal detector in plain view would violate their agreement with JK Rowling. ISTR there being a sign though. Yep, that’s the one. In any event, no metal detectors at the foot of the ride. I didn’t see a sign, and I remember asking the employees wouldn’t it be easier to have a sign. ---
**Author:** ![NeonMadman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/58f4c7/32.png) [@NeonMadman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NeonMadman)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alligator-drags-away-2-year-old-boy-in-florida/757403/56 "2016-06-15T18:15:42Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > You have alligators in South Carolina? :eek: I did not know that… > [@romansperson](#): > > There are alligators in the southern and coastal parts of _North_ Carolina too. Myrtle Beach is one of my favorite vacation spots in the world. Much as I love the ocean, I always get a bit paranoid about sharks when I’m swimming in it. Are you saying that now I have to worry about _alligators_ there, too? ---
**Author:** ![Tzigone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Tzigone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tzigone)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alligator-drags-away-2-year-old-boy-in-florida/757403/57 "2016-06-15T18:22:05Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > Yep, that’s the one. In any event, no metal detectors at the foot of the ride. I didn’t see a sign, and I remember asking the employees wouldn’t it be easier to have a sign. I tried Googling for images (though no telling how old they are) and did see one with a sign that _seems_ to say (smaller pic, blurry when zoomed in) “stow all \_\_\_\_ cameras and video equipment in the \_\_\_ provided or \_\_\_\_” - though it doesn’t mention metal detectors that I can tell. Is on bottom of the “don’t ride this if you have a heart condition” sign. Still, a lot of people think it’s perfectly fine to ignore signs or to take instructions/rules as recommendations and then be upset when they are required to obey them. So yes, I think there needs to be a sign “no headphones” and if customer found to have headphones when they get to front of line, it’s fine to say “nope.” I don’t know what this particular sign at the ride said, though, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alligator-drags-away-2-year-old-boy-in-florida/757403/58 "2016-06-15T18:22:10Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > There are alligators in _Columbia_ SC, even, which is in the middle of the state! There’s one that hangs out at the canal, downtown! (I used to run there a lot and always looked for it and was so pissed at my husband when he went with me _one time_ and saw it, in the river though.) > [@Catamount](#): > > They’re in North Carolina as well, including one who[likes to hang out by the Battleship North Carolina.](http://www.myreporter.com/2011/09/whatever-happened-to-charlie-the-alligator-at-the-battleship-north-carolina/) (He wasn’t there the day I visited though. Not complaining.) > > I’m starting to think that Florida is North America’s Australia. Everything down there wants to eat you. Plenty of alligators here in Alabama, too. > **[Record-breaking alligator pulled from Lake Eufaula weighs in at 920 pounds](https://www.al.com/outdoors/2015/08/near_record-breaking_900-pound.html)** > > It took six men, including two Alabama conservation officers, to pull in and secure the 13-foot 6-inch gator, weighing approximately 900 pounds. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alligator-drags-away-2-year-old-boy-in-florida/757403/59 "2016-06-15T18:25:59Z")
> [@NeonMadman](#): > > Myrtle Beach is one of my favorite vacation spots in the world. Much as I love the ocean, I always get a bit paranoid about sharks when I’m swimming in it. **Are you saying that now I have to worry about _alligators_ there, too?** Nah, the alligators chase away the sharks. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alligator-drags-away-2-year-old-boy-in-florida/757403/60 "2016-06-15T18:42:03Z")
> [@Tzigone](#): > > Still, a lot of people think it’s perfectly fine to ignore signs or to take instructions/rules as recommendations and then be upset when they are required to obey them. I read somewhere this is called the “dazzle effect.” Basically, guests are so overwhelmed by the sights and sounds and smells and the excitement of being there they don’t notice something right in front of their nose. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alligator-drags-away-2-year-old-boy-in-florida/757403.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alligator-drags-away-2-year-old-boy-in-florida/757403.md?page=4)