General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: I admit it, I'm dumb about alligators. [View all]pnwmom
(109,393 posts)on the beach with his family -- not in the water.
But let's say the first reports were correct. There is a huge difference. "No swimming" signs are a common way for resorts to disclaim any responsibility for drowning -- a knowable risk to anyone, whether or not they were from Florida. The boy was, at the most, wading, under the supervision of his father. His father was making sure he wouldn't drown.
His father couldn't prevent him from a risk the father wasn't aware of -- of an alligator lurking silently in the dark, ready to lunge at them and snatch his son.
Other non-Disney resorts in the area and state park do have alligator warning signs. The state is littered with them. But people choose to go to Disney because it is supposed to be a fun, but safe and virtually risk-free environment. Few visitors would have guessed that those man-made lagoons would -- like wild waterways in Florida -- also be harboring dangerous alligators. Or that the resort would purposely host a nighttime social event on the beach during prime alligator feeding time.