Alligator dragged 2 year old into 7 seas lagoon

[pocomom]

We saw a small gator at Fort Wilderness before. Disney is quick to remove them but there is no way to keep the park Gator free in Florida

 

[Patch'sD]

Prayers to the Family

 

[Toad_Passenger]

Definitely have mixed feelings about this. Certainly saddened by the thought of a family losing such a young child like this, BUT the signs clearly say "no swimming."

Maybe it is just because I've been going to Florida for a large portion of my life, but when you see "no swimming" it is to be expected it is because of alligators, poisonous snakes, Naegleria fowleri (brain eating amoeba - definitely found in 7 Seas Lagoon), and other dangerous things. Basically, you don't go anywhere near that water.

So I will definitely pause to think of the family and their loss, but also shake my head at a very, VERY, preventable loss. Like a PP mentioned, "Disney Syndrome" is certainly a thing, and I've seen it far too many times to count while on vacation.
http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/naegleria/index.html

 

[bobbiwoz]

More very sad news out of Orlando.

 

[Pinkos]

Ppl here are assuming everyone knows Florida +water= alligators. We don't. Disney posts signs saying no swimming. They weren't. They were wading. I know my kids have gone down to get some water in their bucket and then to continue to play in sand. If alligators are such a huge threat, maybe it should be advertised more. It's not common to everyone, especially those that do not live in these climates. U hear about all the planning and prep work that goes into planning a WDW trip. U DO NOT hear anout safety around water due to alligators.

 

[Christine]

Definitely have mixed feelings about this. Certainly saddened by the thought of a family losing such a young child like this, BUT the signs clearly say "no swimming."

Maybe it is just because I've been going to Florida for a large portion of my life, but when you see "no swimming" it is to be expected it is because of alligators, poisonous snakes, Naegleria fowleri (brain eating amoeba - definitely found in 7 Seas Lagoon), and other dangerous things. Basically, you don't go anywhere near that water.

So I will definitely pause to think of the family and their loss, but also shake my head at a very, VERY, preventable loss. Like a PP mentioned, "Disney Syndrome" is certainly a thing, and I've seen it far too many times to count while on vacation.

I hear what you are saying and I have not been a park visitor who has been anywhere near the lagoon in many, many years. But I'm from Virginia, am older, and I know about alligators being an issue from South Carolina on down. Even still, it is not "natural" for me to automatically think of them and I'm not sure I would have been savvy enough about the gator issue.

Due to my own reading on the internet over the years, I do know that there have been issues with the water in the lagoon and that swimming was prohibited. I thought it was mainly due to sanitary conditions and not necessarily gators/snakes, etc. But I know there is *something*. The question is, do most people know it? Has Disney done enough to make it known? I don't know.

 

[DawnM]

I think many assumed the No Swimming was due to bacteria in the water. That area used to have swimming, back in the early days.

Another horror is that someone thought it was a great idea to bring African Crocs and release them in the Florida swamps. I am reading that now it is becoming a real problem as they breed. They are far more aggressive than American Gators and they can be much larger.

I pray they can find this boy and have some closure.

 

[Toad_Passenger]

But I know there is *something*. The question is, do most people know it? Has Disney done enough to make it known? I don't know.

I would hope most people know that Florida = Alligators (It's even their University mascot).

The problem with Seven Seas Lagoon, and why it was closed for swimming, was most certainly the brain-eating amoeba. I believe a few cases popped up in River Country, which was subsequently closed. The water there was from the Lagoon, so they know it is in there as well. Basically any warm, freshwater in the South will house Naegleria fowleri.

I do agree with you, though, that Disney does not do enough to emphasize how dangerous that water is. Even wading/splashing could cause the water to enter one's nasal cavity and that is all it takes to get infected with Naegleria fowleri.

Regardless of how little they advertise the dangers of the water, at the end of the day "no swimming" means just that...stay out.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

I was born and raised in FL. I know all of the "rules" you're supposed to follow when around any body of water(the saying is "If there is water, there are gators."). I wouldn't have been thinking about gators if it were me and my children out there. My kid wouldn't be in the water, not because of gators, but because of the brain eating bacteria. I think it's pretty rare for this gator to come out and just grab a kid. The area seemed pretty open and there were people there. Gators are usually pretty skittish.

 

[Christine]

I would hope most people know that Florida = Alligators (It's even their University mascot).

The problem with Seven Seas Lagoon, and why it was closed for swimming, was most certainly the brain-eating amoeba. I believe a few cases popped up in River Country, which was subsequently closed. The water there was from the Lagoon, so they know it is in there as well. Basically any warm, freshwater in the South will house Naegleria fowleri.

I do agree with you, though, that Disney does not do enough to emphasize how dangerous that water is. Even wading/splashing could cause the water to enter one's nasal cavity and that is all it takes to get infected with Naegleria fowleri.

Regardless of how little they advertise the dangers of the water, at the end of the day "no swimming" means just that...stay out.

You'd be surprised at how little us northerners think about gators (and being the non-sports person, I don't really even know that). I'm not sticking up for them, just trying to get across how ignorant non-Floridians can be about this stuff and I imagine it might be worse if you are from the mid-west and haven't had many trips to gator country! I've been to Florida numerous times and have become aware of alligators only in that way. My mother has a frightening photo of herself in the Everglades *very* close to a big one. Even with the knowledge I have, I actually might not think about it all during movie night near the Seven Seas Lagoon. I think you forget out those things in WDW and have some false sense of it all being taken care of and not a problem.

But, yes, NO SWIMMING would do it for me.

 

[Mkrop]

This is just horrific. What an awful, awful week for Orlando. My heart can't catch up.

Poor baby.

Just a horrendous week for the Orlando area...prayers for this family.

And to me no swimming means no wading either but that is just me. They may have missed the signs in the dark and in their excitement of seeing fireworks

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

You'd be surprised at how little us northerners think about gators (and being the non-sports person, I don't really even know that). I'm not sticking up for them, just trying to get across how ignorant non-Floridians can be about this stuff and I imagine it might be worse if you are from the mid-west and haven't had many trips to gator country! I've been to Florida numerous times and have become aware of alligators only in that way. My mother has a frightening photo of herself in the Everglades *very* close to a big one. Even with the knowledge I have, I actually might not think about it all during movie night near the Seven Seas Lagoon. I think you forget out those things in WDW and have some false sense of it all being taken care of and not a problem.

But, yes, NO SWIMMING would do it for me.

I don't think it's ignorance. You just don't think about these things happening. It's not one of the common dangers that people look out for. Kidnapping, TBI from not wearing a helmet, keeping them from running into traffic... THOSE are the things we automatically think of and are cautious about. Should they have been a little more careful in/around the water at night? Sure. Everyone can be more careful, but it's not ignorance.

 

[mom2rtk]

I heard they have "checked" 4 gators so far (euthanizing them) and have not yet found remains of the child.

 

[zoo2tycoon]

This is so heartbreaking! As a parent you can't even imagine what this family is going through and the horrific guilt the parents must be going through. Sitting on the outside one would assume a no swimming sign means to stay out of the water. It is easy to say the parents weren't watching the child. None of that matters just pray for this family and clousure for them.

Is it Disneys fault, a lawsuit down the road? Sign was posted, can they prove Disney knew alligators in lagoon? Doesn't matter now.

As a child in the mid 70s I remember playing in the lagoon, going on beach by where luau was at Poly. In morning there'd be plastic cups and we'd try to catch minnows. In the early 2000s I watch my boys wade to knees in that same water with signs up about swimming.

My prayers and heart goes out to this family, the community of Orlando and emergency personnel there who have seen so much.

 

[indimom]

So very, very sad. I've seen the signs, and to me "no swimming" would equal "no wading" especially for a child who could easily go from putting a toe in to fully submerged. I thought those signs were primarily there due to the dangerous amoeba (the typical reason you read on this board when the question has been asked) and also because it would be difficult/impossible for Disney to "supervise" every body of water on property if swimming was allowed. (Even an early poster on this thread asked why a lifeguard didn't tell them to get out ------ because they don't post lifeguards by the lakes. Disregarding gators, snakes or amoeba, could you imagine the difficulty of monitoring those bodies of water for swimming??)

But, I can't fault the family. I can understand how a father might think it's perfectly safe to walk the waters edge with a small child.
It's a pleasant night at a beautiful resort viewing fireworks or a movie with possibly a good number of people around... you just don't always stay on high alert for everything. Making sure the child didn't trip and get drenched was probably the only worry on his mind. Although I doubt you'll see many people allowing their kids to wade into the lakes after this. I certainly have remembered the "snake bite" story I read here on the DIS. incidents like these tend to be more "behavior altering" than signage.

That poor family. I feel terrible for everyone involved. I just can't imagine the heartbreak.

 

[pocomom]

Definitely have mixed feelings about this. Certainly saddened by the thought of a family losing such a young child like this, BUT the signs clearly say "no swimming."

Maybe it is just because I've been going to Florida for a large portion of my life, but when you see "no swimming" it is to be expected it is because of alligators, poisonous snakes, Naegleria fowleri (brain eating amoeba - definitely found in 7 Seas Lagoon), and other dangerous things. Basically, you don't go anywhere near that water.

So I will definitely pause to think of the family and their loss, but also shake my head at a very, VERY, preventable loss. Like a PP mentioned, "Disney Syndrome" is certainly a thing, and I've seen it far too many times to count while on vacation.

The alligator could have gotten the baby if they were out of the water too.

 

[CapeCodTenor]

I can't even imagine. My thoughts and prayers go out to the family.

 

[Dawnlight]

It's just a tragic, awful, horrific accident.

Yes, it says "no swimming", but most people would not immediately jump to that meaning "no wading" or "no getting within x number of feet from the water's edge". Swimming, for most people, means full body in the water. Could Disney have had better signage? Yes, but they can't plan for every single eventuality; the parks would be strewn with warning signs from front to end.

I don't blame Disney or the parents; it's just an awful accident.

Many beach-goers here in MA, especially around the Cape area, don't heed shark warnings. Last time I was out at the Cape, I saw seals in the water and that was a sign for me and the kids to exit the water. Seals=shark food, seals nearby could equal sharks being nearby. Lots of people would be thinking, "Oh, look, cute seals! Let's go in and get a closer look if we can." Yes, there could be signs up and down the beach, announcements from lifeguards every 10 minutes, but tragedies happen despite warnings (and even so, they are rare, just as in this case with this wee boy).

Prayers going out the the family. I can't even begin to imagine their horror and pain.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

OMG I just read about this. Tragic! Prayers for the family.

 

[Hikergirl]

How awful, my thoughts and prayers are with that family.

Just to add to the discussion, for me I had no idea that the brain eating amoeba was in that lake. I assumed the no swimming signs are because of gators. But, I have been to FL many times and have seen gators in areas where you might not expect them to be (busy public areas) so I am aware that they can be anywhere water is. I also never let my kids in water where a sign says no swimming, because to me that is a warning to stay out of the water.
I do agree that people let their guard down at places like WDW, they do have a false sense of safety there.