Disney closes beaches after gator attack

The Disney World parks and resorts, as well as other Orlando theme parks are a popular destination for Staten Islanders, with many families planning to head to Florida over the summer. Divers found the body of Lane Graves of Elkhorn, Nebraska, about 16 hours after authorities first got the call that a reptile had taken the boy at Seven Seas Lagoon, Sheriff Jerry Demings said. Moving it to a new location merely transports the problem, officials noted.

The search also included the gruesome task of killing and cutting open alligators as they searched for the boy.

A family’s fairytale Disney vacation quickly turned into a nightmare when an alligator attacked.

Nick Wiley, executive director of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which spearheaded the search, said the American alligator was feeding and likely confused the small child for a dog or a raccoon.

A Disney representative, speaking on condition of anonymity because the company had yet to prepare a formal statement, said the entertainment giant was closing beaches “out of an abundance of caution”.

“The team attempts to relocate the gators to the uninhabited natural areas as best they can, but the gators don’t understand the boundaries”, he said. The boy’s father tried unsuccessfully to save him.

The boy’s family was attending a movie outdoors at the Grand Floridian resort around 9 p.m. Tuesday when the child waded into the water.

Demings says they are trying to “bring some closure to this family”.

The alligator, estimated to be 4 feet to 7 feet long, emerged from the lake and grabbed the child, who was partially in the water, in its mouth.

Ranges is an annual pass-holder at the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa and said she has never seen an alligator there since moving to Florida 15 years ago.

The boy remained missing Wednesday morning after an overnight “search and rescue operation”, said Jeff Williamson, a spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.

They typically will not attack out of water, Wasilewski said, but may lunge at prey a few feet from shore.

Williamson brushed aside reporters’ questions about the odds of rescuing the child at this point. Alligators have killed five people in Florida in the last 10 years, according to official state data.

Wiley said the wildlife commission works with the resort to remove “nuisance alligators” – classed as those which have lost their fear of humans – whenever they are reported.

“We have been to Yellowstone and encountered grizzly bears, but this is just freaky”, John Aho said.

When asked if Disney was aware of alligators on the property, spokeswoman Jacquee Wahaler said posted signs said “No Swimming”.