Oh why don't these people value life?

I'm sure we've all made mistakes. We took our lot to Florida many years ago and were lounging around at Typhoon Lagoon when a couple of members of staff suddenly leapt on a huge snake in the bushes a few yards away from us and started wrestling with it. Instead of getting away from the area, I'm afraid our instinct was to stand there gawping like idiots, probably wondering if it was some sort of stunt.

These poor parents have been punished more than enough.

It's the done thing to stay up late at Disney World as so much goes on in the evening for children. The fireworks are incredible. That's why Disney provide little carts to ferry tired little legs around from attraction to attraction. We would set off mid morning and not return until after midnight a lot of the time, as those who have been will understand, there is so much to do and so little time. At other holiday locations, unless you have the facility of child listening/babysitting, you will often see children napping in buggies in the evening. Bedtime doesn't have to be adhered to, in my opinion, on holiday. And if any mother tells me she has never had the smallest of close shaves rearing her children, fibber. I had 3 boys under 5 and I could write a book and I consider myself somewhat paranoid about safety. As my now grown up sons will tell you. I still give them 'the lecture' before they go out. One recently said sarcastically 'And don't trip over that pebble'! on his way out. There but for the grace of god say I and don't criticise. Those people will be in the worse pain imaginable. Let them grieve.

One of our neighbours has a house in Florida where they spend half the year. Saw him this morning, their house is 30 miles from Orlando. He said that alligators are all over in Florida, but in general only attack if they're hungry, and there's plenty of other food around. He said they can move very fast, he's seen them.
A horrible tragedy,maybe people who visit Disneyland in future will learn from the experience of the tragic family to be more cautious.

Have any of us nothing to reproach ourselves for in our child rearing skills? When I think back to my rather casual hippy 1960's days bringing up 3 kids under 5 years old I think I have had more than one lucky escape - I'm not going into details, too shaming. I too think the child should have been safely tucked up in bed with a teddy, but modern parents seem to want their children to take part in absolutely everything. Imagine the guilt of these poor parents, probably akin to the guilt the McCanns must feel - but hindsight is a wonderful thing.

The problem on holiday, especially somewhere like Disney, is people think it couldn't possibly happen because they are on holiday. Wander into dangerous places, oblivious. We went to Disney World a couple of times when my boys were small. We played golf the second time and were told not to retrieve balls from bushes (snakes) water (alligators). My OH thought it was a joke and went down to a stream and got a ball he could see on the edge. We went around the next corner, to find several alligators around 4ft ish long on the bank. Everything is so artificial at Disney you get lulled into a false sense of security as I remember at first thinking 'How can they let this happen'! It's Disney! Duh. It's Florida. There are swamps. There are snakes (saw a long brown one cross the path by the swimming pool). The parents have been punished enough. Look at the McCanns. Look at me when my youngest was 6 and I took my eye off him for a moment to put down a blanket on a beach in Gozo and he disappeared. I was hysterically running on the spot, as I didn't know which direction to run in. He had gone behind a rock pretty far along the beach in moments. Could've got washed off. My fault? I would've blamed myself for sure. Don't blame these poor parents. They will blame themselves forever. They were outside The Floridian Hotel at Disney. I expect it never entered their heads something like that could happen. Poor souls. And poor little soul that was taken. My heart goes out to them.

I'm sorry but I don't think people going to Disneyworld would necessarily think of the danger of alligators. If there were no signs on the beach ( which reports say there weren't) I doubt if the parents of a child paddling in a man made lake would think about an alligator attack. I wouldn't.

Yes parents are 100% responsible for their children but we all make mistakes and accidents can happen. It is a horrifying thing for that family to witness and what happened will stay with them forever. We have all (if we are honest) had moments where we have unintentially put ourselves or others at risk.

I meant a two year old paddling in an area such as this is unthinkable

I agree with you parents are 100% responsible for their children at all times, and one would have thought an alligator region would make parents extra vigil - a two year old paddle in any area such as this is unthinkable.

Ann alligator attacks do occur but fatalities , thankfully , are quite rare.

www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2016/06/15/how-often-alligator-attacks-florida-disney-child-dragged-water/85916280/

Disney has been there for years. I went in 1989 and was aware of the terrain then. Florida has Alligators, it is a swampland. Never heard of this happening before. So are people getting more stupid? I think everyone thinks someone else will look after them.

robbienut - that link appears to be to a Disney World publication, damage limitation??

The reports this morning about the four alligators being " euthanised " horrid word, say they were slit open for signs of human remains. It also shows there are several alligators around so it is not likely to be an isolated incident. There could be dozens of the creatures.

Disney should have water fenced off and warnings about crocodiles/ alligators, preferably with pictures and signage for those with reading difficulties. It's no use blaming the parents; they will never forgive themselves anyway. It worries me terribly how many accidents to young children are in the news at the moment.

Disney covers 46 square miles of ground , the resorts are dotted round a couple of man made lakes surrounded by acres and acres of natural waterways and forest.

Alligators are in their natural environment , there are about 1.5 million of them in Florida alone. Whilst I have never in 30 years seen an alligator there ( and Disney has not had an instance of attack in 45 years)I am totally aware that there is every likelihood that large( and even small bodies of water) could contain alligators ( or snakes).

According to the experts there is nothing Disney or the parent could have done to prevent this as it was not usual behaviour . According to the expert on last nights Orlando news most alligators when faced with a body even in shallow water will keep away.

Having said that I have to say I agree with Marmark

I've been to Florida,there are signs warning of alligators,most clearly.Kids like doing all sorts of things,if I allowed mine to do all they wanted to,What a daft comment to make.One minute people are moaning about H&S.You can see why these daft H&S rules are in place.Of course the parents must take responsibility.Some people I wouldn't trust with my dog.If the kid wanted to jump off a cliff,would you stand by and let it,yes suppose you would,then blame someone because,

^Not everyone can read" Obione I was about to post exactly that. The 2-year-old certainly couldn't, and Disneyland would be full of children older than him who would not be able to read warnings, plus there are plenty of adults who can't. The visitors from far away also need to be taken into account - them may have flown in that morning and not yet be aware of the alligator risk.

If the water in an area known to contain alligators was not guaranteed free of them, then it should not be possible for a child to be in danger.

Several people made critical posts early in this thread, based on the initial reports, including myself. The facts in those reports were very miss-leading and it would now seem that the parents were blameless.

I whole heatedly apologise for my early comments, which were totally wrong and given the facts we now have, cruel.

Lesson -- wait for the facts.

It was an accident waiting to happen.

Not everyone can read.
Even if they could, these sorts of things always happen.

I can't believe that people on here are blaming the parents for this awful tragedy. If there are no warning signs to say about alligators then it would probably be the last thing they would think of coming out of the water at a Disney resort.

I have taken my son, when he was two, to Disney Florida and I didn't think once about alligators, policemen being shot on Universal Drive yes, that was going on but no natural predators in their natural habitat, no.

With any young child near any body of water, or any where else which is hazardous for small children the parents should be fully in charge and it's up to them to think ahead about the possible hazards. That is being a good parent.

The parents should exercise their own judgement about their childs safety, but Disneyland do have a duty of care and not fencing off such potentially dangerous animals is negligent.

In North Wales a few years ago a couple were convicted of the manslaughter through gross negligence of two children who were allowed to play on a railway line during a family picnic and were killed by a train.

There was no custodial sentence there but how else do you get a message to people about making sure young children do not get into real danger when out and about.

I feel desperately sorry for the parents. They will re-live that terrible moment for the rest of their lives.

I expect most people would assume that if there was a very real danger then there would be warning notices to keep well away from the water.

Why is there a clamour for prosecution whenever tragedies such as this occur. Really, what is the point of prosecuting people who must be totally traumatised and grief stricken?

2 year olds move at the speed of light, blink and they have moved
Alligators and crocodiles move at the speed of light; one minute there is no sign of them, the next they are there on the beach.
It says 'beach resort' in the linked report and that the family were not in the water, they were on the beach.

Disney should have been on constant alert for alligators; they knew they were in the area and they should have been removed (not euthanised).

That poor family; we were in a boat on a river a few years ago and the guide pointed out a crocodile on a beach where a five year old boy had been snatched. He had wandered away from his house not far away.

Can't bear to think about it. I have a 2 yr old DGD . Can't imagine how those distraught parents are feeling, and also the two older siblings.

Doesn't bear thinking about

Poor, poor, little boy.