Disney’s deadly fight against bizarre attraction
Five years on since the death of two-year-old boy Lane Thomas Graves, Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa are still fighting to keep his killer at bay.
Lane died after playing with other children at the resort’s man-made Seven Seas Lagoon on the night of June 15, 2016.
The boy was tragically grabbed by an alligator who dragged him into the water, while he attempted to fill his bucket to make sandcastles.
Lane’s father Matt Graves fought the alligator by attempting to pry its jaws open, but was left with major injuries.
Police divers sadly discovered Lane’s body submerged in the murky lagoon just a day later.
Disney is taking major strides to try and keep its Florida properties safe from alligators, but the exploding population of the deadly critters are making it as difficult as ever.
Reports say 250 alligators have been at Disney World since June 2016c however the massive reptile population is proving a hard challenge to control.
As an attempt to encourage Florida’s famous gator trappers, each one has been offered $US30 ($A40) for each alligator they trap.
Trappers are also allowed to keep any profits from the leather or meat sold.
However, activists are fighting against Disney who say the alligators are rarely, if not ever, rehomed.
Tammy Sapp, a spokeswoman for the wildlife commission, said the majority of the 250 alligators caught had been euthanised.
Some of the reptiles are sent to farms, exhibits or zoos while those under 1.2m are relocated to other parts of the state.
“The FWC takes public safety seriously and uses Targeted Harvest Area (THA) permits as part of a comprehensive effort to achieve alligator management goals,” Ms Sapp told the Orlando Sentinel.
“THA permits allow a managing authority to work directly with a designated FWC contracted nuisance alligator trapper, making the process for removing nuisance alligators more proactive and streamlined.”