Alligator is Not a Four Letter Word
By now, you’ve likely heard of the heartbreaking death of a child who was attacked by an alligator at Walt Disney World ad nauseam. If you somehow haven’t, here are the details. I’m not going to rehash them. The death of that young child is incredibly tragic.
It should go without saying (but probably does need to be said as I’m sure someone will misconstrue this article) that my heart goes out to the family. What happened on the beach of the Grand Floridian is awful and heartbreaking. I cannot begin to fathom the pain the parents must be feeling, especially as they are unduly scrutinized and second-guessed in the aftermath of losing a child.
With that said, I see the aftermath and reaction to this tragedy as fear winning the day over logic and common sense. This presents a problem that goes far beyond alligator attacks, with troubling responses from the media and guests. Beyond that, there’s the reaction from Disney itself as it adds fencing, closes beaches, modifies marina policies, and removes all references to alligators in attractions. I view these subsequent measures and public outcry as very concerning and worthy of discussion.
Responses similar to this are something I’ve noticed quite a bit in the travel realm in the last few years as overreactions to various world events that result in people changing their behavior and entities changing policies. For example, friends and family often inquire as to whether I have any concerns about visiting X or Y destination because “they wouldn’t go there after hearing [insert world event example].” My answer is always the same: safety never crosses my mind. While terrorism is certainly awful and grisly, the fact is that it’s a highly improbable way to die.
My response is often met with some bewilderment, as if I’m reckless for not giving these dangers serious consideration. My view is the opposite: that it would be irresponsible to worry about something so unlikely. While thinking with one’s ‘heart’ is innately human and there’s no way around that, to the greatest extent possible, I try to not let emotion cloud logic. You’re more likely to die of heart disease–by orders of magnitude–than all of the improbable causes of death people tend to fear more combined.
On the scale of heart disease to lightning strikes, alligator deaths are beyond even lightning, with a total of 24 reported United States fatalities since 1928 (until 2010) due to alligators. That’s only .06 attacks per 100,000 people per year, and the vast majority of those are provoked by attempts to capture the alligator. In the improbable event of attack, the survival rate is 96%. Suffice to say, if you are not alligator wrangling, your chances of a fatal alligator attack are close to zero.
Statistically, homicide, bus accidents, heat stroke, West Nile virus, drowning, malaria, and literally hundreds of other causes of death are far more likely in Florida than alligator attacks. In terms of animals, specifically, the most feared animals (like sharks and bears) are actually the most unlikely killers. Cows, spiders, bees, and snakes are all leading killers among animals. Even a fatal whitetail deer (also found on property at Walt Disney World) encounter is more likely, either in the form of a car collision or unprovoked attack. In fact, you are far more likely to crash your vehicle into an animal than be attacked by one (excluding insects).
I can understand why this recent alligator incident has resonated so much with people. It’s a heart-wrenching story with vivid detail, ghastly imagery, and many parents can imagine themselves in the shoes of those parents. It is quite scary to envision, provokes a deeply emotional response, and plays to our fears.
This doesn’t change the objective reality that alligators do not pose a significant threat to guests of Walt Disney World. Despite their nefarious appearance and protruding teeth, they are relatively timid creatures that fear humans. We have heard countless stories of alligators at Walt Disney World over the years, and I don’t mention that here to corroborate the myriad sensationalized “Disney Was Warned!!1!!!” headlines.
I find these headlines irresponsible. Of course there have been alligators spotted in and around numerous bodies of water in Walt Disney World. There are ~1.3 million alligators in Florida. Alligators live in all 67 counties of the state and inhabit all wild areas of Florida that can support them. The mere presence of alligators doesn’t make a location dangerous. The Florida Nuisance Alligator Program does not recommend small alligators for removal, as they are not threats to even small pets (unless the alligator is handled). This should underscore the point that in the swamps of central Florida, alligators have been around forever–certainly since 1971–and this is the first time something awful happened at Walt Disney World.
I’m not writing this to dissuade anyone on the fence about canceling a Walt Disney World vacation. That’s a personal decision. I know that overriding the emotions of a situation are easier said than done. It’s upsetting to think about what happened, and if you’re going to feel unease on vacation, the vacation is worth rethinking.
However, an isolated event that is–by any logical measure–an anomaly, should not dictate how we live our lives. Walt Disney World should not be forced to take prophylactic measures to “prevent” this from occurring again, because if it is bound to happen again, these “preventative” measures aren’t going to change that. (The only thing that will is guests ceasing to feed alligators, thereby potentially causing them to associate food with people.) All references to alligators should not be vanquished from the resort, as if it’s a four-letter word not to be uttered on property.
I can’t fault Disney too much for its response to this incident, even if I do think the subsequent measures taken are unnecessary. Disney is already facing nightmarish PR and media coverage, there have been a ton of cancellations, and innumerable irate guests have contacted Disney about their “alligator issue.” Moreover, we live in a litigious society in desperate need of reform, and some of its actions might behoove Disney from a legal perspective.
That doesn’t make any of this right. This type of response is endemic to our culture, and it’s time for us to say enough is enough with knee-jerk responses to fear mongering. Rather than responding to dramatized media accounts that play into our emotional fears and elicit ill-defined outrage, we should contemplate the real danger present. What we stand to lose to fears of alligators at Walt Disney World is insignificant in isolation, but it presents a growing trend of a willingness to ‘err on the side of caution’ and make meaningless sacrifices for an ill-gotten slice of peace of mind. You simply cannot protect people from every remote danger, and in attempting to do so, too much would be ceded in the name of “safety.” We must allow for some level of acceptable risk, or else live in a constant state of irrational fear.
If you desire things to fear, you will find no shortage if look for them. In the aftermath of 9/11, it was often said that if you live in fear, the terrorists have won. I believe this can be extended to fear, itself. It’s cliché, but Franklin D. Roosevelt’s words ring true. The moment you let fears alter any facet of your life is the moment those fears are fully-realized.
Great article. I agree wholeheartedly
This incident has generated considerable supposition – for example: whether or not the parents were aware or not of the presence of alligators since they were from Nebraska. It really doesn’t matter. I’m a midwesterner, and I usually scan the waterways looking for alligators when I am in Florida – including at Disney. I do this not from fear, but for the opportunity to get a photo of the animals. They can turn up in unusual places – search for Apopka W**mart alligator video to see what I mean. Blaming Disney makes no sense and amounts to “force majuere” or assigning legal responsibility based on zip code. Some of the outcries that Disney should “eradicate” all alligators are downright scary in that some people can think that way. Alligators are a necessary part of the habitat in Florida and were there long before humans. Humans do far more damage to the ecosystem – and allegations of guests feeding alligators at the Polynesian would be a good case study in lessons learned. Same thing will happen with bears, raccoons, etc. when the animals make the connection between humans and an easy source of food. It amounts to a death sentence to these animals after that kind of exposure to humans and sometimes worse things happen.
So, I agree with the article. Some degree of sensitivity or taste is probably unavoidable like refraining from crocodile jokes on the Jungle Cruise, but I sincerely hope they don’t remove other references or have a politically correct cleansing of all alligator imagery. I am more likely to lose some respect for Disney if they do that because it is a slippery slope.
I do feel for the victim and the family. Nothing in this world will replace their loss.
If they are removing every reference to alligators within Disney World, what about alligator characters? Like Louis from Princess and the Frog. And don’t the Port Orleans French Quarter have alligators in a band, and Riverside probably has some sort of reference to them right? I mean are they just completely redoing all of that. Are they going to retheme those resorts because alligators live in New Orleans too?
And what about watching fireworks and the electric water pageant outside at night? Are they getting rid of the water pageant? How are you suppose to view that now.
Despite the tragedy, the thought of cancelling never crossed my mind. This is something that could have happened ANYWHERE there is a body of water in Florida.
On every Disney Vacation I see so many forget that they are not in a bubble moving around and doing as they wish.
Although nobody deserves going through that tragedy life has taught me that I should be aware of my environment.
I really think that this isolated incident has made many overreact.
I think Fear should be with us at all times. With a bit of fear we can make better decisions and mitigate these type of tragedies.
Obviously this was a “freak” occurrence. Why the need to find fault somewhere and make adjustments to a whole slew of things? (oh yeah, lawyers ;D) Bringing attention to the fact there are potentially alligators near *any* water in Florida is probably all we need to take away from this experience. The removal of alligator related stuff at WDW is misguided at best, disrespectful of nature at worst.
I’m not interested in changing my life either over things that occur with far less than .oooo1% probability. I’d rather just continue to use slight caution & common sense to offset possible risks on any given day.
Everything I’ve read suggests that property owners in Florida aren’t liable for wild animal attacks unless the animals are not native to the area or they were aware of an unusually threatening situation.
So to prove negligence, the lawyers would need to find some evidence that Disney knew that the lagoon was more dangerous than an average lake in Florida or that there was an abnormally aggressive alligator. A cast member having seen the alligator near the beach would likely be sufficient as well.
Here is the data Disney never shared:
“CNN obtained documents Friday from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission showing Disney had removed or disposed of 243 alligators between May 2008 and May 14, 2016. Six more gators were taken after the recent attack on the boy.”
What percentage were removed in 2008 compared to 2016? If the percentage is going down, it’s evidence that Disney isn’t doing as much as they used to.
Hard to believe they have been keeping up since 6 large alligators were removed during the search for the victim.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/23/us/orlando-florida-disney-beaches-reopen-alligator-caught/
Thanks for sharing that. Odd that CNN didn’t go into greater depth with the statistics. I’d imagine Disney had to file something with FWC each time they removed an alligator, so there should be more detailed data that would show annual trends (and more). Hopefully that information is released, as I’d agree with you that removal trends are important, and indicative of Disney’s diligence (or lack thereof) in controlling the gator population.
Your link doesn’t make any mention of the size of the 6 removed during the search. On what basis do you keep referring to them as huge or large?
Well written and I agree with you on most points.
I will say, even before this event, I was troubled that the signs on Seven Seas, Bay Lake, Crescent Lake, etc only warned of “No Swimming.” We personally knew that alligators could be present and that was the reason they didn’t want you to swim, but without that warning, many guests would still wade in the waters, interpreting “swimming” to mean doing the breast stroke. I was never comfortable when I saw guests do this.
Castaway Cay has explicit warnings posted about rip tides, stingrays, Portuguese man of war, etc even though those are also rare. I was always surprised that WDW didn’t make a similar mention of alligators.
Good article Tom. Well written, logical and sensible.
I completely agree with this article.
Of course it is tragic, but honestly you can never fully control nature. It was just a terrible tragedy.
How much does the Disney corporation pay you?
Clearly you don’t read this blog. If you did, you would know Tom is critical of Disney when necessary and shares the good, bad, and the ugly.
Respectively, I find your article irresponsible. “Walt Disney World should not be forced to take prophylactic measures to “prevent” this from occurring again”. I beg to differ. When you are an establishment as large as Disney, who averages over 50,000 guests per day, you have an unequivocal responsibility to the people. Period. The fact that they didn’t even have Alligator Warning signs up is such a gross oversight it’s mind-boggling.
Let’s talk a second about Acceptable Risk since you cared enough to attach a link to the statement. What should Disney’s Risk Appetite Statement be when millions of children frequent their establishment?
I’ll tell you —ZERO. If banks are implementing zero risk tolerance so should Disney! To say “subsequent measures taken are unnecessary” is so utterly reckless, it’s shocking. I don’t think throwing the term Risk Acceptance out there with an article from 15 years ago, using citations from the late 90’s, is very appropriate either.
The crux of the problem here (which you are completely missing) is that Disney lacked the proper controls, as they had little to no monitoring or oversight. They need to address that. Of course this was an accident, but at the end of the day it’s crucial that these establishments implement the proper controls to minimize the possibility of risk. To say anything otherwise, is simply foolish.
I agree with Lauren.
Those defending Disney rely upon irrelevant evidence and claim that an alligator attack is just another reasonable , known risk that guests take into account and visit anyway.
The risk was not known to anyone except Disney – and the child attacked by the alligator in 1986 at Ft. Wilderness. Disney likely paid a settlement with a nondisclosure agreement, further HIDING the risk by making sure that child’s parents remain silent.
Something has changed at Disney. The sheriff and the Wildlife officials claimed that Disney was proactive and monitoring the wildlife. And yet, they pulled 5 or 6 huge alligators out of this lagoon in the search for the poor victim. Maybe Disney USED to monitor this situation before the big cost slashing. But they aren’t anymore.
When I get on a plane, I am reminded over and over about the risk of terrorism. My 2-year-olds shoes are removed. He has to walk through the monitor and have his stroller separately searched. Announcements and signs constantly warn me to report any unattended luggage. I am fully aware of the risks I am encountering.
Disney’s risks were hidden and known only to Disney. They are responsible for this child’s death. They failed to care for their guests.
The 50,000 guest per day is exactly why the risk is acceptable. 2 incidents out of 50,000 x 365 days in a year x 45 years in operation means there is almost no risk at all.
Expecting a theme park operator to have zero risk appetite is unworkable. They might state that as some goal for marketing/PR purposes but any operator of moving theme park attractions (e.g. roller coasters, log fumes, etc.) that also utilizes a transportation fleet cannot possibly have zero. Comparing WDW to a bank makes no sense (and I assume a bank’s goals relate to financial risk, anyways)–I doubt anyone has ever died due to making an ATM withdrawal.
The core concept of risk acceptance hasn’t changed in decades, so I’m not sure why a citation from the 1990s is problematic.
I can agree with both you and William that if Disney deviated from its established monitoring and removal practices, FWC mandates, or if someone otherwise dropped the ball, the buck stops with Disney, and they should be held accountable.
From my perspective, adding fences, closing beaches, and removing alligator references from attractions are not appropriate measures given the low level of risk and what is ceded in terms of guest experience through these measures.
I don’t think Disney can 100% control the presence of alligators. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, “the American alligator is Federally protected by the Endangered Species Act as a Threatened species, due to their similarity of appearance to the American crocodile, and as a Federally-designated Threatened species by Florida’s Endangered and Threatened Species Rule.” Furthermore, nearly one third of Disney World property is a designated conservation area. One veteran Florida boat guide remarked that is it nearly impossible to keep alligators out of any body of water, since they can climb fences and crawl through tunnels. I don’t know how Disney could have a zero risk policy without violating Federal and state laws.
Tom,
I’m so glad you wrote this. It is exactly how I have been feeling about the whole thing. My heart breaks so this family, but this is still the “Happiest place on Earth” for me. We have booked another trip in December. Keep up the good work Tom!
I’m a long time reader and fan. Everything that follows is my opinion and may or may not be accurate.
If one wanted to measure the probability of this type of event, one would have to plot this event against all of the other times small children have waded into the Seven Seas Lagoon at night, during summer. I’d guess the probability would be high enough to merit concern. Most people would probably try to avoid such an event just as most people try to avoid being caught outside in the middle of a thunderstorm in order to minimize their risk of being struck by lightning.
I’d wager that most guests on Disney property aren’t aware of the threat from nuisance alligators. I’d argue that awareness of risk is important, because it arms you with the knowledge you need To exercise your free will and make informed decisions about the risks that you are taking on. I’d argue that if the parents had known about the presence of nuisance alligators in the Seven Seas Lagoon, they wouldn’t have allowed their son to wade into the water.
This is a case of bad “moral luck” and I don’t blame anyone for this event. But I do think that spreading risk awareness is an easy and proper thing to do in this case.
As you said, rarity doesn’t nullify tragedy. Any thoughtful person would be saddened by this event.
I don’t think Disney should bowdlerize their attractions but I understand the desire to avoid reminders of this tragedy.
Some really excellent points and things to consider here. Very well said.
I think there’s no doubt that the alligator signs that have already gone up are a permanent measure. It’s the other subsequent actions (closing the beaches, putting up fencing, removing references to alligators) that could be temporary or permanent, and many of those responses, I hope, are temporary as a measure of respect in the immediate aftermath of this horrific event.
Agreed.
This was so tastefully written and well thought through. If only media in general practiced responsible reporting instead of unnecessary panic by shock factor. I live along the east coast in NC and there are alligators even in our man-made neighborhood ponds. I’m am often surprised to see people trying to get too close a view or attempting to feed them. Small dogs have been snatched as a result. While I don’t live in fear of them I do try to be aware of them, and snakes, and even terrorist. The point being we have to get past the fear and live instead in awareness. I won’t be cancelling our trip to WDW in September and hope the magic won’t be lost for others as a result of this unfortunate tragedy.
Hi Tom!
Very well said. I have been traveling to Disney world since 1977, yes I have seen gators. I agree with all you have said, however I have always been in wonderment if everyone was aware of alligators in those waters. If people were warned either verbally or signage, would Disney be taking so much heat? My heart cries for that 2 year old and his family.
Well written, and completely correct.
Such a well written statement, and I could not agree with it more. Thank you so much for taking a stand and saying what a lot of us are thinking. What a terrible, terrible, heartbreaking ACCIDENT that occurred. No one is to blame, no one. Horrible things happen every hour, every day, all over the world. It just so happened that this horrible thing occurred at the most high-profile family vacation destination in the world. My heart goes out to the whole family, as well as to the officers/police/recoverers/and Disney personnel that were involved.
I am a third generation Tampanian/Floridian, and it is just a fact that there are alligators in just about any body of water. Baby/juveniles can even be found in basically any drainage ditch in the summer months when the water is high because of rain. It is true that we are taught from a young age to be aware of alligators and do not swim where they are at, or linger at the edge of the water where they are most likely to attack.
The city and county places alligator warning signs on all ponds and lakes, and usually do not feed signs too. Disney should do that, but they need not be expected to do more. Perhaps a pamphlet in the rooms about the dangers of feeding alligators, I saw similar pamphlets in parks with bears.
Good ideas. And to the other poster’s point as well, this education of Floridians to be aware of alligators from a young age does likely explain why the level of incidents are low. It sounds like the Florida government does its part in educating and protecting its citizens, but Disney didn’t do it’s part. And as a vacation destination where most guests have no clue about the alligators and no Florida residence insights, shouldn’t they go above and beyond? Beyond being the right thing to do, it’s also just smart, good business. Now look what they have on their hands.
DisneyWorld is the like a moderately sized city. The fact that more crap doesn’t happen is actually quite impressive.