LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — It’s an unwritten rule for Florida residents: Keep your kids away from ponds and lakes because alligators are everywhere.
But after a gator killed a 2-year-old Nebraska boy at a Walt Disney World resort, attention soon turned to tourists. In a state with an estimated 1 million alligators, how should theme parks and other attractions warn visitors, and did Disney do enough?
Disney beaches remained closed Thursday after the death of Lane Graves, and the company said it was reviewing policies that do not currently include posting alligator warnings around park waters.
The review “includes the number, placement and wording of our signage and warnings,” Jacquee Wahler, vice president of Walt Disney World Resort, said in a statement.
Local law enforcement and state wildlife officials publicly praised the company for spotting and removing nuisance gators from park waters.
Disney’s wildlife management system has ensured “that their guests are not unduly exposed to the wildlife in this area,” Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said during the search for the child.
The dead child’s parents, Matt and Melissa Graves, who live in a suburban area of Omaha, have not spoken publicly, so it’s unclear whether they knew anything about the gator threat in Florida. A statement released through a family friend thanked local authorities for their tireless work.
An autopsy showed that the boy died from drowning and traumatic injuries, according to the Orlando medical examiner.
While Disney had posted “no swimming” signs at the lake where the boy died, it did not have alligator warning signs, which are common around golf courses, ponds and public parks all over Florida. That has raised questions about whether the company did enough to convey the potential danger to visitors.
Responding to questions from The Associated Press, Disney said it has a policy of relocating alligators that are considered a potential threat.
