Gators Removed From Disney World Doubled Since Toddler’s Death

ORLANDO, FL - The number of alligators removed from Walt Disney World property more than doubled to 53 in the six months after a Nebraska toddler was killed when a gator pulled him into the water, state wildlife officials said.

Prior to the toddler’s death on June 14, 2016, 24 alligators had been removed from Disney properties, the Orlando Sentinel reported.

An alligator grabbed 2-year-old Lane Graves of Omaha, Neb., as he played on a beach outside Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort in 2016.

Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission data shows 16 gators were killed in June 2016 and another 17 in July 2016. About 40 alligators have been removed so far in 2017 through early September. The highest month for removals was July 2017. February was the only month in which none were recorded, the Sentinel reported.

To read the full Sentinel story, click here.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Photo via Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission