Over 400 Alligators Have Been Removed From Walt Disney World Since 2016 Tragedy
WDW News Today • • entertainment
Key Points:
- Since the 2016 alligator attack that killed 2-year-old Lane Thomas Graves at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort, over 400 alligators have been removed from Walt Disney World property, with a significant increase in removals starting that year.
- The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program (SNAP) defines nuisance alligators as those over 4 feet long posing threats, and these alligators are removed rather than relocated to prevent them from returning to capture sites.
- Disney has enhanced safety measures by installing barriers like fencing and boulder walls, posting warning signs, and providing reinforced wildlife safety training for Cast Members to reduce alligator encounters.
- Experts confirm that these removal efforts do not harm Florida’s alligator population, which remains stable at around 1.3 million, thanks to successful conservation efforts since the species was federally protected from 1967 to 1987.