Alligators On Disney Property

Those are crocs. Alligators are not native to Africa, which is where, as you know, Kilimanjaro is set.

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July 2010 - Old Key West

Oct 2010 - Boardwalk Villas

Only on the Kilimanjaro Safari (and then, maybe they were crocodiles?)!

I was waiting for that Before I posted.

Crocs are Bigger, Meaner, (Alligators usually wait for prey, A Croc will come after you.) and prefer salt water or even open ocean. It's head is narrower then an Alligator and as a result has a weaker bite force.

The easiest ways to tell them apart is Crocs are tan and you see both upper and lower teeth when their mouth is closed. Alligators are more Green and you only see the upper teeth when the mouth is shut. (Either way run...)

I have seen alligators on property in Disney. When I was doing the Halloween 5K last year there was one in the retaining pond behind space mountain. It was so cool!

The far side of Bay Lake actually has a section that is roped (buoyed) off because it's an alligator nesting ground.

Has anyone else come face to face with these critters in the "wild" at Disney?

I have posted this picture before but this thread is just made for it. Also rest assured it is a real photo taken by a cast member BEFORE the MK opened for the day. Better beleive it was removed by Disney pest control services very quickly.

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We hadn't seen one but on one of our travels by boat between fort wilderness and wilderness lodge a boat driver was telling us bout a large one he saw the day before. Seeing one at Disney would be a huge hightlight for me especially in Bay lake.

I have never seen that before! Holy crickey that would scare me!

Aaaaaaannnnnddd....that's why I stay OUT of fresh water in FLORIDA. Even at Disney. Trust me, folks. They are EVERYWHERE here. In fact, I assume they are there, and am shocked when they are not.

I saw one at Animal Kingdom between Dinoland and Asia.

I have seen one in CSR in the water that the resort surrounds. But its Florida so you are supposed to see them.

We saw one while on the boat from the MK to the Poly last trip. One was in Bay Lake by the Grand Floridian beach. The boat captain spotted it first. That is the first we saw one on property in all the years.

We actually saw one on our way to the airport! It was cool! I took video of it... havent had a chance to look at it. If it has anything... ill post it.

Alligators have a rounder snout and are not as big or as aggressive as Crocs. Both will kill you so stay away!

And we do actually have crocs in FL too, from what I understand, just more in the southern part. We're on Lake Monroe (the St. Johns flows thru it) and we see gators ALL the time. I don't let the kiddoes dangle their legs over the wall of the lake. EVER.

Yes, the Crocs are mainly in the Everglades. Lots of room for them and not a lot of human contact.

okay WHAT DOES IT MATTER IF IT WAS A CROC OR ALIGATOR!!!!!!!!! everyone is getting off topic . why in the (Edited by Moderator) was there an aligator there to begin with in the first place its man made lake so its not like they were they first walt disney should have been killed them or something , how many babies are gana die before people wise up

First off, no one is off topic. This is a thread from 2011. This is NOT a discussion about the unfortunate attack on a small child. Also this is a very friendly place and the cussing is not necessary.

If you know your Disney history, the entire park is built on swamp land. The fact that it is a "man made lake" does not matter.

Thank you JMed! My thoughts exactly!!

banamek please check you private messages.

JMed thank you.

Mrhub "Moderator"

Welcome!

I saw one near Tom Sawyer island that I found out was a regular visitor. I would say about 3 feet long.

Last November we saw an alligator swimming in Bay Lake between Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness. It was about 6-to-7 feet long. Our boat captain pointed it out as it swam toward the shoreline. He also said he sees them daily in Bay Lake. I've also seen gators in the small culverts on the side of the roads throughout Disney property. I always say in Florida: Ocean = sharks, fresh water = gators.

One of the things I was hoping to see in Florida was a real live alligator, and during our second trip I found a smallish one right in the Magic Kingdom, sunning itself at the water's edge near Splash Mountain. Another critter I hope to see is an armadillo!

Did you see this story. There is a line that the guy thinks Disney is 100% responsible. He is also an attorney.....

http://www.people.com/article/father-david-hiden-warned-disney-alligators

"I'm so stressed thinking about this family," he says. "I wrote a letter to the president of Disney and told him I thought that this death rests 100 percent on you guys."

His son was "almost" attacked so he wrote this letter. Maybe I am naive but I just don't see how they are responsible, except yes, maybe they should have had "warning Alligator" signs up.

I am sketchy about ANY body of water ANYwhere I go, not just Florida. There was a gator on the beach here last week, one today in Georgia.

I just shake my head and move on...

The most dangerous thing in my water is Pike or the occasional rabid duck. That said when I was at CBR I would not have gone in the water. I remember a conversation with my uncle who spends a lot of time in the Keys saying that Florida has the most amount of un-usable water (eg swimming , paddling ect) that he has ever known.

No one is to blame and the madness that has descended seems to have blocked out the fact that a family has lost a child in possibly one of the most horrific ways possible.

I hope Disney only remove references for a 'period of mourning' and I hope that people don't start lawsuits and the like. My thoughts lay truly with sympathy for the family and any witnesses to the events or the aftermath of finding the child. It goes beyond my imagination to think what the animal control guys went through when they had to dissect the alligators.