LAKE BUENA VISTA — Authorities responded to an alligator’s attack of a 2-year-old boy Wednesday with overwhelming force killing the suspect and four other alligators believed to have ties to him. They continue to search for alligators near the crime scene believed to be involved in the murder.
“This is still an open investigation,” Sheriff Jerry Demings reported. “We gave the alligator the opportunity to surrender but he refused so we killed him. When we questioned the other alligators in the lagoon, they just kept looking at us. They opted not to cooperate so we killed them too. We will continue to kill every alligator in this damn lagoon until it is safe for everyone to look at from a distance.”
“We sent a strong message to Florida alligators today that they should think twice before going into the water and doing what comes naturally to them,” Governor Rick Scott explained. “Whether it’s hunting bears, alligators, or pretty much anything we can find, the animals in this state know when it comes to allowing them to live in their native habitats, we’re not going to let it happen!”
Walt Disney World reopened the Seven Seas Lagoon that is connected to a series of canals that open into larger bodies of water on Thursday. Officials remain confused how the alligator could have gotten from one area where he lives to another area filled with water and where alligators usually live. New signs outside the lagoon read, “This lagoon used to contain alligators that hunt for food. Authorities killed the alligators so now it’s safe unless more alligators swim into the lagoon from the canals that connect it to larger bodies of water which will probably happen.”
“My question is, Why are there alligators in there?” asked Michelle Stone, who lives near Detroit and was visiting Disney for 10 days with her two children. Authorities refused to comment on why there were alligators in freshwater in Florida.
Kirschner's Korner 
While this was a horrible tragedy and I grieve for that poor family, I’m also grieving for the innocent alligators who lost their lives. It’s not the alligators’ fault; why did they have to die? So sad. 😦
No, it’s sad the small boy had to die, because we continue to place Wild animals on the same grounds that humans live in and near. The blame is on anyone who thinks this is a Safe synairio, fresh water, why are they there to begin with. Wake up Big Corp. America.
Margot are you dense??? WE as humans continue to move in where animals live. Not the other way around, we move in, push them out, and when they are found in THEIR natural habitat, say water and you are saying wake up corporate America??? Human beings need to WAKE UP and learn how to share the planet!!! ::::smh:::::
I may be a little rusty on my natural history, but weren’t the alligators the ones living in and near Florida lakes long before Disney or any other humans showed up? Like millions of years long before?
If we look upon that fact with respect for nature and with compassion for wild animals, then maybe things could be reversed…maybe alligators and nature and wild animals would appreciate it if we humans would stop placing ourselves on the same grounds that they having been living in and near for millions of years.
Guess we’re just lucky that alligators can’t sue for trespassing… 😉
If I could be so bold as to play referee…please no name calling or attacks on others if that’s ok.
If we can’t learn how to get along and share the planet with our very own species, then how can we expect humans to do the same with other species?
If we’re going to share the planet, then we’re going to be sharing it with all beings, even those we may think are dense. Name calling won’t help accomplish that shared planet.
Couldn’t have said it better myself .
That is exactly how I believe; wild animals belong in the wild, not in zoos and areas where little children can have access to where they live.
That habitat that Disney is built on belongs to the alligators….it’s their “in the wild”. We did not have a right to encroach upon it.
All I’m going to say here is you are what’s wrong with this world today.
Alligators live primarily in freshwater and can only tolerate salt water for a few hours.
I agree 100%
You make as much sense as rock. Those are their natural habitat
Those alligators weren’t placed there. They walked there. That’s what alligators do. Anyone who’s spent any time in Florida knows that any body of water larger than a puddle is likely to have an alligator in it. They travel from body of water to body of water, searching for food. That’s what they do. Nobody placed them there. If you don’t know anything about alligators or Florida, zip it. You sound deeply stupid.
No, it’s sad the small boy had to die, because we continue to place Dangerous wild animals on the same (play) grounds that humans live in and near. The blame is on anyone who thinks this is a Safe synairio, fresh water, why are they there to begin with. Wake up Big Corp. America.
The alligators were there first, it’s their home, bloody humans again being trigger happy and building on the alligators habitat, what the hell did they think would happen, did they expect the alligators to turn round and say sorry but I seem to have strayed on to your land which was once my land but I promise not to eat anybody, get real !!
The parents are to blame…just like the gorilla that was killed at the zoo a few weeks ago…parental neglect caused their child’s death…PARENTS…accept it & stop playing the blame game.
Oh, My God….have some compassion!
Of course we have compassion. Of course it is a terrible tragedy. Of course the signs should have specifically mentioned “alligators” to inform those who don’t realize alligators can be found in any freshwater body in Florida. But the reality is that this is a very rare occurrence. It’s like a tree limb falling on you and killing you, because, believe it or not, we humans live amongst NATURE. Things happen, tragic as it might be if that tree limb fell on you, we don’t go cutting down all the trees because once in 30 yrs someone was killed by a tree limb! The world is a scary and dangerous place sometimes, that is reality, it’s not all Disney World. There are floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, RARE shark or bear or lion attacks. But we SHARE the planet with other species, we can only be vigilant about our own safety and when tragedies occur accept them and try to learn from them.
If anyone is at fault it’s Disney. There should never be beach chairs out with only a “No Swimming” sign. It is a mixed message as, unfortunately, the father of the toddler misunderstood. Who would have thought that no further notices would be out if there were alligators present in the water, after all they even had a lifeguard on duty! This is horrible for the child, the parents and the public. If people venture into a habitat where there are predators present, they should know that. The beach chairs were completely out of place and inviting disaster.
You are exactly right chris1055. Chairs should not have been on the shore of that lagoon. They only made the “no swimming” signs seem less severe. The couple was from Maine where they aren’t acquainted with alligators or any of the other natural predators in Florida. When they visited the Disney resort they most likely felt that they were in a safe place because they were “visiting Disney”. It is a horrible accident that could have been prevented if resorts would educate their guests at check in. I live on Hilton Head Island, SC where we have plenty of alligators, snakes, etc. I am in customer service and always try to inform visitors of the alligators. Small children and dogs are on the alligators radar because of squealing and barking which tend to attract them. No matter, it was a shameful loss and could have been prevented.
Gov. Scott’s remark about the animals not being allowed to live in their native habitat is disgusting and so typical of him. I can ‘t wait for him to be gone.
This is a PARODY – gov Scott is an ass but I do believe this article is tongue-in-cheek to show us how stupid and vile humans are
Wow. You realize this was satire and Gov. Scott didn’t actually say that, right? 🙈
It is clearly the fault of Disney. This is Florida. There are gators. There is water. Where there is water, there are gators. And unfortunately for that child he stuck his hand in a body of water where there is probably little food for him. Signs must be posted, Alligators may be present. All around that body of water. And remove the damn beach chairs!!
Also if gators are found, TRANSPORT THEM!!! Don’t kill them!!
Transport them……to where????
Move them where? I don’t know hmm it’s Florida, maybe the Everglades.
The chairs were yhere because it was movie night on yhe beach. They also do a water parade and fireworks on the beach
Oh hear we go again. The animal is more important than the humans . You people are really sick. Blaming the parents and the little child. Really!! Get a life.
No – SH!tforbrains – and also a soul – YOU get a brain, a soul and a life. NO one said non human animals are more important than human ANIMALS – ONLY MISERABLE HUMAN trash think ONLY humans have rights and ONLY humans are important – INTELLIGENT and EVOLVED humans understand ALL life is equal. The POINT, moron, is that HUMANS caused the situation for GREED and SELFISH pleasure and the INNOCENT animal pays the price. TOUGH! If humans want to do these things then ACCEPT the price and don’t further punish NON human animals for acting according to nature. GET OVER YOUR STUPID ARROGANT SELF
Im a vegetarian cuz i believe in the sacredness of life. My deep dark secret is i cant stand alligators and cant figure out why they didnt die out with the dinosaurs. I freaking can’t stand them!! I secretly wish they were all dead. Every other life on this planet i value as equal with humans. But not alligators.
You might as well add termites to your list. The truth is that they’re in their habitat, have increased their populations because of the availability of food. The boy’s body was found intact, therefore the alligator realized he made an error in hunting him and left his body. The specific alligator is gone, but others will replace him. Humans should get off Disney’s beach and stay in the swimming pools. It’s Disney who is at fault.
If you’re only vegetarian, you only believe in the sacredness of SOME life. You only value SOME lives as much as humans’. You do not believe in the sacredness of the life of male calves turned into veal or slaughtered at birth because the milk industry has no use for them. You do not value the life of the billions of male chicks slaughtered at birth (usually ground up alive, though sometimes they are suffocated in garbage bags or just stomped to death) because the egg industry has no use for them. You do not believe in the sacredness of the life of mother cows, who are kept in vicious captivity, forcibly impregnated, and then have their babies stolen moments or hours after birth so that her milk can also be stolen and fed to humans (and their babies are either turned into veal, immediately murdered, or, if female, raised to live in this same hell of endless stolen babies and enslavement). Mother cows who have this cycle repeated every single year until their bodies give out decades sooner than they would normally, when they are then slaughtered and turned into “beef”. You don’t value the life of laying hens, who are bred to lay abnormally high numbers of eggs, so that they are plagued with painful and usually deadly reproductive diseases; hens who are raised in tiny boxes for their entire lives, which are also a fraction of a chicken’s normal life span; hens who never raise their chicks and who are also turned into meat when they no longer lay enough eggs. You don’t believe in the sacredness of every animal (human included) life that lives in the rainforest, which is being decimated so that people can continue to eat meat and dairy. And you don’t value the lives of every human on this planet, whose suffering will continue to grow as climate change – caused by meat, dairy, and egg industries – worsens.
Vegetarians are responsible for the deaths of millions of animals every single year. That is not what believing in the sacredness of every living thing looks like. Sure, you kill fewer animals than meat-eaters… but not many. That is not compassion and it is not valuing life.
I once was in a car accident due to another driver’s negligence…so I shot and killed that car.
I know it wasn’t the car’s fault…it was just doing what cars do…but for good measure, I went ahead and shot a couple more cars that happened to be next to us on the highway.
“My question is, Why are there cars on the highway?” I mean, there are plenty of inviting ramps and signs enticing me to drive onto the highway…and I’ve never seen any signs warning me that there would be (of all things!) cars on the highway.
And just like the “Authorities refused to comment on why there were alligators in freshwater in Florida”, they have also refused to comment why there were vehicles on a highway.
😉
In all seriousness, this is yet another tragedy all around, for both humans and animals.
I agree that there probably should have been something on the signs stating that there were alligators in the water…but it’s also very depressing to me when I ponder if we are so far removed from the natural world that it doesn’t occur to people that alligators live in water in Florida.
Same thing with the shark attacks this year…wow, sharks live in the ocean…are we really that removed from nature? The thought of that makes me very sad. 😦
Agreed!!
I agree wholeheartedly.
Society has sadly become that far removed from nature. I read earlier this year that visitors on a beach in South America the found a baby dolphin in a lagoon. They all played with it and took pictures withere it. When they were done however they left the baby dolphin on the beach, where it died, instead of putting it back in the water. People just do not care about anybody or anything anymore.
I don’t blame the alligators or the parents. Disney knows people come from all over the world to their resorts. They are not familiar with the dangers of local wildlife. If there is the possibility of danger, they should be adequately warned.
Christ, are you all really this fucking ignorant?!
The gator successfully preyed on a child. Children are now a viable food option to it in an environment with heavy food competition because there are too many gators. It would try for another child if the situation was right and thus it HAS to be killed. But how do you find it? How do you identify one gator from another? You have to compare bite marks on the poor boy that died. That means pulling them all up until you find the one that fits.
And as for us moving in on “their” natural habitat… Tell me, what is our “natural” habitat? You forget that we are as much a part of the natural world as any other creature on this planet.
The gators are a threat, the threat has to be removed, it’s pretty fucking simple. There isn’t a gator on this planet who’s life should be protected over s child’s.
Some adults on the other hand would probably be better off eaten.
The most OVERPOPULATED, vicious, deadly, destructive, arrogant, entitled, pompous species on the planet is homo-sapiens. We will not be truly “superior” until we’ve earned that title.
Your natural habitat maybe the savanna, the jungle or the swamp? Take your pick – so move back.
Hi Anthony,
You stated there are “too many gators.” Are there too many gators or too many people?
You wrote, “There isn’t a gator on this planet whose life should be protected over a child’s.” Is it possible that if we take appropriate common sense steps, we won’t have to make that choice?
I think what most people forget is the millions of animals killed everyday for human consumption we rape, torture, murder and steal from poor defenseless animals but that’s ok cos it’s the ‘food chain’ but when a predator like an alligator does what he’s instincts do and doesn’t know any better he’s also at fault and gets killed for trying to survive! Why is it ok for humans to kill millions of animals each day and an alligators kills one boy! I’m not saying it’s not bad it’s absolutely heart breaking but don’t be a hypocrite when your shovelling dead animals down your faces and drinking a dead calves breast milk and chicken periods
Anthony your a retard! Shock horror humans are evil and are killing animals for no necessary reasons so all deserve to die as they are using all humans as a food source and to wear cosmetics and testing on! 👍
Shame on you for using ableist hate speech that dehumanizes people with disabilities. Shame on you.
The child was 2 yrs old why weren’t the parents standing next to him in the water….
I think the father was very near. But there is no way of opening the mouth of an alligator once he grabs onto an object; in this case it was his little boy. Horrific for all including the child’s mother who jumped into the water and others who saw the accident. I’m not sure that alligators would attempt to hunt humans after trying only one time, because the gator let the child’s body go. He knew the child wasn’t food. Whereas, a young mountain lion out West who is starving might try to eat a small child, and they have to be killed so they don’t try it again. At least that’s what I heard from rangers who know lion behavior — mountain lions have to know the difference between other prey animals and humans.
Alligators take prey, that can’t be eaten in a small bite, to an area where it will rot. Later they will come back for the prey, roll with it violently until there are smaller bites. Alligators have a forceful bite but little muscle to open their mouths. Therefore, a small animal would be preferred to a larger animal. The alligator didn’t release the child because he realized he’d made a mistake. He was placing him to come back later
OMG, any decent sized body of water in Florida, larger than a kiddie pool comes with an assumed risk of an alligator. It’s not Disney’s fault that there’s an animal that is living within it’s established territory that goes as far north as the middle of North Carolina and halfway across the gulf coast. You can’t build a wall to keep alligators out – they are a part of nature. Sometimes bad things just plain happen. The fact that there’s only been 1 death due to gators in a Disney park in 40 years tells you they have a pretty damn good safety record when it comes to wildlife.
Meanwhile – something like 6 people have died on Disney rides and attractions over the last 10 years… so I mean seriously – sometimes bad things just happen.
The entire state of Florida just went 7 years without a fatal alligator attack, and now has 3 in the past year – law of averages. Disney spends a ton on wildlife mitigation, but it’s never going to be foolproof…