TiggerTrigger
a.k.a. HouCuseChickie
- Joined
- Jul 16, 2010
Several questions.
How many gators are estimated to be on WDW property? Is that public knowledge, or a "state secret"? My guess is "state secret".
Do the lake signs state "No swimming"? If so, why not a "No Wading" sign? Or use your imagination on proper signage. That's a free-one for all the pettifoggers (look it up) out there.
I haven't seen a figure on how many total are estimated to be on property, but supposedly over 240 nuisance gators have been removed from WDW property (i.e. destroyed) over the last 10 years. This figure does not include the 5 that were removed after this incident. Wildlife officials have also noted that the area around the lagoon is a poor habitat to sustain a population of large alligators, which would suggest the numbers are greater in other spots...especially the undeveloped areas. It was also my understanding that some of the baby and juvenile gators in LWTL are taken from the population. I can only speculate, but I have to wonder if it's ones from nests near parks and resorts so they can reduce the risk of angry mamma gators and also to relocate them into undeveloped areas when they get older so they don't imprint "home" as one of the more populated areas of the land.
As for the signage, I believe it originally said no swimming. I've lived in FL and currently live in a part of TX prone to gators. We have dual signage at the man-made lakes in our neighborhood. Sign 1 on each lake usually has - No Swimming, No Fishing, No Boating. The alligator signs are no-nonsense and as pictured below, stand on their own as they're the greater risk. We have no snake warning signs even though rattlesnakes, water moccasins, copperheads, and coral snakes are a concern and I've seen some. Still, we live in an area where we know alligators could be in any body of water and they still warn us. It's unfortunate that WDW's original signage didn't convey the same strong message.