The child was attacked at 9 PM; sunset was at 8:25. The parents may not have seen the posted signs instead of, as some here imply, deliberately ignoring them. Certainly the dark would have made it difficult for the parents to see an approaching alligator. When my toddlers went splashing in the shallows, I wasn’t scanning the water beyond them for predators. My family has spent time at that exact location. The lagoon is very dark at night.
I’m not willing to assume the worst of these parents. Disney has surveillance cameras everywhere in the parks, so possibly there are some in this area. If so, the investigation will turn up more reliable evidence than the speculation that talking heads on the 24/7 news cycle so dearly enjoy.
All I can say is thank doG they found the child’s body and that he had not been dismembered or eaten by the alligator. (Obviously they were looking for body parts in the stomachs of the alligators they killed. Ugh.)
I’ve stayed at the Grand Floridian three or four times. You get lulled into the artificial Disney “experience,” so much so that the whole place seems candy coated perfection. They put on a fireworks display every night over that lake - it’s easy to imagine a family standing by the shore, watching on a hot night and a child wanting to put his feet in the warm water. It feels very safe and natural - my guess is that thousands have done the same thing in the same spot. This attack is just so random and unpredictable - my heart breaks for this family.
I am not judging the parents, just stating in the difference in the treatment of parents in two tragic incidents. Ive stated repeatedly Disney is at fault for not having proper signage, just as the zoo was at fault for having an enclosure that allowed a small child to breach.
Floridians grow up learning about gators. Not so in Nebraska. Floridians grow up hearing about someone’s dog that became an appetizer because it got too close to the backyard lake in a development. You learn gators travel and can be in just about any body of water. Dusk in Florida is not a time to be in the water. You don’t go swimming without knowing what’s in there.
The child was not unsupervised. It was a beautiful evening at Disney I’m sure and they were down at the water just enjoying some peaceful time.
You CAN’T see gators in brackish water NO matter what time of day. It could have occurred any time of day. They can lie so still you won’t notice them even if close by.
Gators are FAST. They can outrun a man and in the water you’re a goner. I shudder every time I see a youtube video of some golfer poking one on a golf course with a club. Dumb, dumb, dumb.
@Consolation Original reports this AM said the father " heard a splash" If he was close by and watching the child, he would’ve seen the alligator before he heard a splash. @frazzled1 I’m sure the lagoon was dark . My toddler is not away from my sight when it’s dark, let alone not near water. It’s a terrible tragedy. Surely I feel for the parents, but my heart grieves for an innocent toddler that could’ve been better protected IMO.
I imagine everyone has their own definition of supervised . The child was 2 years old. They should not have been in water at night , especially without an adult within arms reach.
Gators are fast and can come out of the water and strike quickly. They lurk under the water and are very difficult to see (impossible at night!), that’s why people who are looking for gators look just for bumps (the eyes) or something that might be a log.
I feel terrible for this family. There were only 2 fatal gator attacks in the last 8 years before this. I can’t judge the parents in this, they were just terribly unlucky.
Carolinamom, I don’t know if I’m just a FL mom or an overprotective parent, but my toddler would never have been unsupervised in any lake. The more developers move into the Everglades, the more likely there will be crocodiles. In the newest developments, there are stories about animals in the canals or lakes. It is easy to see how people would think that a resort setting would be devoid of any dangerous animals.
@carolinamom2boys I saw several news reports saying the same thing, but when I said the parents werent watching their kid, I was accused of making stuff up by someone on this thread.
US Naval Observatory says that mean civil twilight in Orlando on June 14 2016 ended at 8:51PM Eastern Daylight Time. Also according to the Navy, the moon was 72% full and would have been just shy of transit.
According to the US weather service (weather . gov), the sky in Orlando was “CLR” or clear, at 9PM on Tuesday, June 14 2016.
Civil twilight is, per the US Naval Observatory:
Civil twilight is defined to begin in the morning, and to end in the evening when the center of the Sun is geometrically 6 degrees below the horizon. This is the limit at which twilight illumination is sufficient, under good weather conditions, for terrestrial objects to be clearly distinguished;…
Transit: The transit time of a celestial body refers to the instant that its center crosses an imaginary line in the sky - the observer’s meridian - running from north to south.
This apparently occurred sometime before 9:15, meaning it was likely too dark to drive, but objects could still be seen clearly. This is not actually dark, which happens for most of us between Nautical Twilight and Astronomical Twilight. Nautical twilight (ibid) was 9:24 EDT in Orlando.
I keep looking at pictures of the resort and that area. It was right by/on the water. A gator could have easily walked onto the resort property from that lagoon. If it is a known fact that gators roam Florida waters I wouldn’t want to be anywhere near the shoreline where a gator could walk into the resort area. (forget putting my foot in the water)
Whatever safety precautions are now taken going forward it is too late for the parents who have lost their child.
I wouldn’t even think of walking so close to the shoreline in the dark as an adult. If it is dark I would stay inside the resort in the well lit areas where I know I will be safe.
We have been staying at that same hotel as a family for almost 20 years. I really feel sorry for this poor family. Despite all the signs, I have to say that it is not at all uncommon to see small children stepping into that lake (a lake that is not clear, that holds all kinds of wildlife, etc.). I can’t think of a time when we haven’t seen kids dipping their feet into the water. This time tragedy struck. But these are not the first parents to let their child wade in this water. I learned long ago that there can be snakes, gators and amoebas in Florida water and never let my D go near the lakes, but it’s not common knowledge for those of us who are not from that area. I think they were on vacation and let their guard down. My heart goes out to the family of this poor child. This is also not the only Disney resort with a similar “beach” on a lake, but as far as I can tell this is the first time a child has been lost. The irony is that there were pools and a nice, safe toddler wading pool just steps away from where this happened.
Tragic situation. I’m from Socal But there is absolutely no way I would let my kids near any natural body of water in FL! Gators are too fast and the whole of Florida’s a swampland. Why Disney didn’t put up a mesh fence - like they do in Australia for sharks, is beyond me. And allowing beach access to a lagoon at night seems incredibly negligent on Disney’s behalf.
@bookworm - are there now crocodiles as well as alligators in Central and South FL?
As many have said, @carolinamom2boys , alligators can move verrrry slowly and then SUDDENLY pounce- very quickly. Inthe post sunset sky, in a dark lagoon, its quite possible the alligator was not seen lurking below the surface and then— BAM he pounced in an instant!
I understand alligators @jym626 . I know they move quickly. I know that they can pounce in an instant . I still contend that a two year old child should not be the only one in the water at night, alligator or no alligator . I know no one wants to think ill of or blame a family who has suffered a drastic loss. I don’t either, but I still say the whole situation could have been avoided if the child had been better supervised and not in the water. That’s my opinion, I know it is not the popular one on this thread .My heart grieves for the child.
People are not disagreeing with you, as far as I can tell. But it must have been very hot, even after dark, this family is from Nebraska and was probably enjoying the FL weather, and who knows if anyone else was in/near the water. That hasn’t been reported. But it is VERY likely that no one saw the alligator until it was too late.
My question- if it was 9 pm-- what were a 2 and 4 year old doing up???
This is also not the only Disney resort with a similar “beach” on a lake, but as far as I can tell this is the first time a child has been lost. The irony is that there were pools and a nice, safe toddler wading pool just steps away from where this happened.