NPR for Florida's Great Northwest

250 Gators Removed From Disney Since Boy Died In 2016 Attack

Wildlife officials have removed 250 alligators from Disney properties in the five years since a 2-year-old boy was killed by one of the reptiles at the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa.
Gerald Herbert

Wildlife officials have removed 250 alligators from Disney properties in the five years since a 2-year-old boy was killed by one of the reptiles at the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa.

The company has worked with trappers contracted through the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to remove the alligators.

Agency spokeswoman Tammy Sapp says most of the nuisance gators are euthanized and sold for their hide and meat. Some are also transferred to alligator farms, animal exhibits and zoos.

Disney also installed a wall and put up reptile warning signs along waterways throughout its resorts after Lane Thomas Graves was killed in June 2016.

Copyright 2021 WUSF Public Media - WUSF 89.7. To see more, visit WUSF Public Media - WUSF 89.7.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
The Associated Press is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, supplying a steady stream of news to its members, international subscribers and commercial customers. AP is neither privately owned nor government-funded; instead, it's a not-for-profit news cooperative owned by its American newspaper and broadcast members.