"bobcat" and rattlesnake at the POR!??

[maddhatir]

Hi Campers!

i posted this question in the resort forum however, i thought i would come straight to the "experts" for wildlife info....the closest i get to camping is sitting on my screened porch at night....even then, the bugs get so loud and keep hitting on the screen i get annoyed and have to go inside....and i cant even sleep with my windows open because in the morning the birds are too loud!

I sure would not qualify for the "happy camper"!!

anyway......

A friend was telling me about her sister who just returned from POR and encountered a bobcat on POR property! She was taking a walk late at night and heard a russling in the bushes and out it came and "hissed/growled" at her.

Not only that- my friend stated an acquaintance of her sister was bitten by a rattlesnake on the property.

the people i am speaking of are adults, and this was not some "heard it throught the grapevine" teenage kind of thing.

Has anyone else experienced some unbelievable "wildlife" on disney property.......not including your average annoying birds, squirrels etc--however, i know they can get wild sometimes

Thanks!

 

[tmt martins]

Hi Campers!

i posted this question in the resort forum however, i thought i would come straight to the "experts" for wildlife info....the closest i get to camping is sitting on my screened porch at night....even then, the bugs get so loud and keep hitting on the screen i get annoyed and have to go inside....and i cant even sleep with my windows open because in the morning the birds are too loud!

I sure would not qualify for the "happy camper"!!

anyway......

A friend was telling me about her sister who just returned from POR and encountered a bobcat on POR property! She was taking a walk late at night and heard a russling in the bushes and out it came and "hissed/growled" at her.

Not only that- my friend stated an acquaintance of her sister was bitten by a rattlesnake on the property.

the people i am speaking of are adults, and this was not some "heard it throught the grapevine" teenage kind of thing.

Has anyone else experienced some unbelievable "wildlife" on disney property.......not including your average annoying birds, squirrels etc--however, i know they can get wild sometimes

Thanks!

Bobcat was seen by us when they were ding Construction of a resort ( not Disney) next to where we were staying .I think it was CSR or CBR

 

[bigdisneydaddy]

I think they were Tigger and the serpent from Jungle book that you saw, this is Disney after all.

 

[OK GRUMPY]

One time we were tent camping in Fort Wilderness....Late at night and we heard this BIG BIG BIG bobcat screaming in the night. We never saw the cat but one day we stoped the lady that was riding her horse, she was security and she said that one of the bobcats got loose from animal kingdom and had baby cubs over close to the meadows trading post. This was several years ago. I'll never forget that scream. That same trip my husband and I were out riding our bikes down by the lake and say 2 gators swimming in the water..

 

[NJtoATL]

At the Poly in June 2004 my husband saw a snake. It hasn't hindered my plans at all. We still visit the world every year.

 

[auntie]

Snake... BOBCAT?...big difference if you ask me..especially considering that some people are camping in tents in FW. A bobcat could present a slight problem. Have seen snakes at the Wilderness Lodge also..one right near the entrance to pool where the lobby stream meets the main pool. The staff had quite the time trying to capture it. Also have seen them in the water near the boat launch. I have read that someone also saw a snake in the bottom floor of one of the long houses at the Poly.

 

[dgaston]

Oh heck! DH and I were in AK and two snakes (not animatronic enough for me) were mating next to the pathway to Rafiki's Conservation station. I'm no expert but think they were a fairly common FL black snake. They were the biggest attraction out there!

 

[ftwildernessguy]

I think a lot of people jump to conclusions when it comes to snakes. I have seen a LOT of black snakes at WDW (biggest was on the sidewalk at AS Music). They are NOT water mocassins. Now Florida does have several species of poisonous snake, and I would guess that WDW has representatives of all of them present. For the most part, they are relatively shy and you can't go wrong just leaving all wildlife alone. Black snakes are non poisonous, beneficial, and tend not to be as shy (we always had some living in the barn and they would frequently come around when we were doing chores). They do grow to impressive sizes. A bobcat? Possible, but they tend to be on the shy side too. Could have been a feral cat, which can get big, hang around people, and would have certainly hissed at you when you got too close. WDW is well populated with feral cats and pose a real problem to the pest control folks - they are hard to catch, carry disease, and generally don't fear people and my guess would be that is most likely the critter encountered. As far as bobcats getting loose from AK - I SERIOUSLY doubt that they have had an animal escape, and I have never seen a bobcat at AK - do they even have them? Bobcats are native to North America, and don't really fit into any of the themed areas of AK.

 

[ktmdad450]

We just got back today. Saw a gator a few times in the water near the bridge by the pool. DH saw 2 black snakes right by our site in the leaves.

 

[kmccain]

This is scary! Bob Cats, Gators and Snakes!!!!

Gators in the lagoon aren’t bad, but by the pool! That is right next to the pet loop!

When we were there in 2002 we were riding our bikes on the exercise trail the goes from the campground to WL. In the beginning, before we were out of the campground, I saw a HUGE white and black snake. It must have been over 6" around! My DS saw it too so it wasn't just me! I reported it when we got back. I told them that it would eat a small child!

I hope they get them out of there before I go, if I see one snake, it is one too many!

 

[movtarget]

Bobcat sound at Fort Wilderness? Could have been those darn peacocks. There are times they wouldn't shut up, and sounded somewhat similar to a wild cat call. Maybe why they got rid of them?

Here's an example (but not quite authentic to what we heard that was later identified as the peacock call).

http://www.ilovewavs.com/Effects/Birds/Peacock.wav

Moving Target in NC

 

[LegoMom3]

This is scary! Bob Cats, Gators and Snakes!!!!

Gators in the lagoon aren’t bad, but by the pool! That is right next to the pet loop!

When we were there in 2002 we were riding our bikes on the exercise trail the goes from the campground to WL. In the beginning, before we were out of the campground, I saw a HUGE white and black snake. It must have been over 6" around! My DS saw it too so it wasn't just me! I reported it when we got back. I told them that it would eat a small child!

I hope they get them out of there before I go, if I see one snake, it is one too many!

Lest we all forget, FW is a campground....in the woods....in Florida! Snakes and 'gators are part of the decor. Leave 'em alone and they'll do the same! Disney can't be expected to erradicate all the wildlife that naturally exists in the area. They were there first anyway!