More than 400 alligators have been purged from Florida's Disney World. As reported by the New York Post, the safety initiative was started in 2016 when a toddler was tragically killed by an alligator at the resort.
Two-year-old Lane Graves was tragically found "drowned" by an alligator in the resort's man-made waters after his parents reported him missing. According to the Orange County Sheriff at the time, "There are eyewitnesses who certainly saw the child taken under the water."
Almost immediately after the tragic incident occurred in June 2016, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission got to work. They've purged a grand total of 414 alligators from the area in the last 10 years. There are some specific regulations on what gators need to be removed.
Alligators that are longer than four feet and are believed to pose a threat are removed from the park. More specifically, they need to pose a threat to people, pets, or property.
But according to the FWC, alligators under that magic four-foot number aren't considered dangerous enough to cause any damage. Well, unless they're handled.
But that's something the FWC (and any average person) doesn't advise doing. Of course, getting bitten can cause injury and infection—and handling an alligator is strictly illegal.
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Disney Also Constructed Defences Against Alligators
Disney received a lot of criticism for the lack of signage and defenses following Graves' death. So, after it happened, they employed different defenses to ensure this would never happen again.
These include proper fencing, boulder walls in specific areas, and proper warning signage. The signs read, in red font, "DANGER. ALLIGATORS AND SNAKES IN AREA. STAY AWAY FROM THE WATER. DO NOT FEED THE WILDLIFE."
According to WDW News, these signs weren't new. However, they were previously only placed in the resort hotels originally—an oversight which may have played a part in the toddler's tragic death.
According to the outlet, the signs are placed "every 20 to 30 feet" across Frontierland and Liberty Square at the Magic Kingdom in Disney World.
We are glad that these preventative measures have been taken following such a tragic loss.
