Why is there such a lack of awareness re: alligators? Well, for starters, attacks are very rare.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

In Florida, there have only been 257 documented instances of alligators attacking a human, and only 23 of those have been fatal.

In Shark Valley at Everglades National Park you'll routinely see instances like this:



And there's never been a documented alligator on the hundreds of thousands of visitors that go there every year.

This is by no means to minimize the horrific nightmarish tragedy this past week, or to say visitors and residents of alligator habitated areas should act lackadaisically or reckless towards them. Unfortunately, Disney is a soulless, profit-first driven corporation who willfully chose to build its "Magic Kingdom" on what used to be pristine Floridian wildlife and yet feels too prideful to let visitors know that alligators have lived there for millions of years before there was a Disney World and will continue to live here long after Disney World falls to shambles. So signs--such as these at every Florida State Park where alligators might live near, are apparently out of the question.



As others have said, if you live or are visiting in an area where alligators naturally live, assume there could be alligators in fresh bodies of water, be very mindful of your children and small pets near those bodies of water, and don't intentionally feed alligators. But also don't be irrationally afraid of a magnificent creature that most likely has no interest in going after you. Keep your safe distance and enjoy the exciting sight of one of the remnants of the dinosaur age. It really is a thrill to see them in person.

Unfortunately, this horrific attack just so happened to occur at a time that the international media was already hyperfocused on the Central Florida area, but much like the Shark Panic of 2001, it threatens to get blown rather out of proportion.

[rjsquirrel]

1. Pit bulls kill more people every year

than gators do in 20.

[jberryhill]

2. Lawyers ruin everything

The Los Angeles alligator farm used to be a great place to take the kids to learn about alligators.












Lots of visitors, no problems.

[MH1]

3. The family was from Nebraska. I'm guessing they did not have innate knowledge

of the threat of alligators, and did not get the kind of information and guidance they needed to enjoy Florida safely.

It's very sad. Although it won't bring back the child or heal the anguish of the experience, I hope they get a fat settlement from Disney. What I also would like to see is a regulatory agency take a look at Disney's signage and communications to guests, and force the company to make appropriate changes.

[woodsprite]

5. Maybe I'm just anal, but when my family travels someplace we haven't been before,

we check out what type of wildlife, pests, etc. are around in the natural habitat. We also make sure that we all know what they look like and what the consequences could be if there were an encounter.

We did it with bear, snakes, spiders, etc. when we were camping in VA, WV and PA, and then again when we headed south and out west (gators, snakes, spiders, lizards, scorpions, sharks, jellyfish, fish, etc.)

We made sure our daughter researched what were around in Italy before she took her research trips there. She ran across some snakes (non-poisonous), scorpions, jellyfish, sea anemones, and spiders -- but because she was prepared and aware, she avoided the problems her friends had to deal with.

[HockeyMom]

4. Alligator Alley the road from the East/West Coasts

which runs through the Everglades. We have driven there many times. One time with our daughter we decided to count how many gators we spotted off the side of the roadway. One way we counted 30 gators on that trip. That was the number we could SEE. Imagine how many we couldn't see?

Yes, I believe that pix in the post. No, we didn't stop for an up close and personal picture with the gators. Living in this part of the state we have seen them in our own development. Enjoy looking at them from a safe distance.