Alligator kills boy at Disney World — and Man kills right back!
Articles and Media Coverage From Animal Defenders of Westchester (ADOW)

We advocate on all animal protection and exploitation issues, including experimentation, factory farming, rodeos, breeders and traveling animal acts.

Alligator kills boy at Disney World — and Man kills right back!

FROM Gersh Kuntzman, NYDailyNews.com
June 15, 2016

An alligator attacked a 2-year-old boy playing along the Seven Seas Lagoon shore in Walt Disney World late Tuesday as his parents on vacation from Nebraska tried desperately to save him, authorities said.

The father tried wrestling the toddler from the gator’s mouth at the man-made lake near Orlando, authorities said of the 9:15 p.m. attack.

The mother dived into the water to help, but both parents failed to rescue the boy. The nearly seven-foot reptile retreated into the water with their child near Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, located across from the Magic Kingdom.

The father, who arrived in Florida Sunday with the boy's mother and their three children, suffered some injuries to his hands during the attack.

“The parents diligently tried to get the child,” Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said at a media briefing early Wednesday.

The family has not been identified.

The search continued “to no avail” into Wednesday morning as wildlife officials announced four alligators had been euthanized overnight to check for any signs of the toddler.

Search crews plan to continue their efforts through the day, and Disney closed all of its beaches at the resort "out of abundance of caution."

During the late-night briefing, Demings did not say if the child died in the attack. He described the search as an recovery operation.

“As a father, as a grandfather, we are going to hope for the best,” Demings said. “These circumstances, based upon my 35 years of law enforcement experience, we know we have some challenges ahead.”

The gator attack was witnessed by several people including a lifeguard as resort guests watched a movie near the beach.

The search took place for more than four hours with a helicopter above, trapper and wildlife boats equipped with sonar on the water and search crews shining lights along the shore as fireworks went off above the Magic Kingdom castle, witnesses said.

The 200-acre body of water is stocked with fish and is adjacent to Bay Lake, a natural lake also on Disney property.

An alligator in the water is not an uncommon sight in the lagoon.

Although wildlife officials had no alligator sightings on record for the past month, a Facebook page dedicated to the neighboring Polynesian Resort featured multiple photos of at least one large reptile lurking in the lake.

Authorities plan to search the lake throughout the night hoping to find the child.

“We’re not leaving until we recover the child,” Deming added.

A Disney World official acknowledged the attack in a brief statement at the late night press conference.

“Everyone here at the Walt Disney World resort is devastated by this tragic accident,” she said.

“We’re not leaving until we recover the child,” Deming added.

A Disney World official acknowledged the attack in a brief statement at the late night press conference.

“Everyone here at the Walt Disney World resort is devastated by this tragic accident,” she said.

Return to: Articles and Media Coverage


WESTCHESTER4GEESE is an adjunct of ANIMAL DEFENDERS OF WESTCHESTER. We advocate against all forms of animal abuse and exploitation, including hunting, experimentation, fur, circuses and rodeos -  https://www.facebook.com/Westchester4Geese