Posted on 06/14/2016 8:59:48 PM PDT by gop4lyf
I have a quick question.
Are gators just swamp water creatures or can they go into fresh water?
Thank-you for your response.
I just jumped on, but at 7am, it was reports that the father west led the gator trying to rescue his son.
Please don’t jump to conclusions
The lake was posted no swimming. The boy was splashing in a couple inches of water. That’s not swimming.
I think Disney is probably rethinking the wording on their signs.
http://tracker.cci.fsu.edu/alligator/about/where/
American alligators are most commonly found in the southeastern United States,
such as Florida, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Mississippi, and Texas.
Florida and Louisiana have the largest populations of alligators in America, with
each inhabited by around 1.5 million alligators.
Because they have a low tolerance for salt, the majority of alligators inhabit freshwater.
They can only handle being exposed to salt water for a small length of time, but will
sometimes live in brackish water. These reptiles favor calmer waters and primarily occupy
swamps and marshes. They can also be found in rivers, lakes, and other small bodies of
water. Alligators require a sufficient amount of prey, mud, and vegetation when choosing a
place to live and generally prefer to live in warmer climates.
end snip
No. Why is a two year old standing next to a body of water alone? Never mind gators that’s a great way to let your kid drown.
That made my day. Learn something new.
I think for the gator kid, at least it was quick. Much better than a remote-area rattler bite.
And the parents will score a big payday from Ratworld, compared to the zip they would get if the exact same thing had happened on a canal or pond ten miles away in any direction.
A couple million bucks won’t bring the kid back, but it won’t hurt either.
Another way of looking at it: prior to about WW2, kids under 2yo were not counted when parents were asked how many children they had. The answer might be, “Four children and a baby.” Babies were a very iffy proposition, and it was expected that a lot of them would not make it to 3yo.
http://www.11alive.com/mb/news/local/alligator-spotted-in-lilburn-pond/223217256
“...He seems to be a pretty good neighbor,” Compton told 11Alive’s Kaitlyn Ross. “He's not making any demands on us, so we're leaving him alone.”
I wonder if Compton wants to rethink that statement.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says 4 alligators pulled from lake and euthanized, none believed to be alligator involved - @MarkLehman6
We raised 3 children on a creek that had gators and never lost a child. Just lucky/aware I guess.
I was raised pretty much like you were. The difference was the Windows were rolled down and we weren’t strapped in a car seat.
Without tools, humans are NOT at the top of the food chain.
This may be the predictable result of a general policy of protecting and encouraging apex predators.
In California this first began playing out with mountain lions in some wilderness parks butting up against suburbs in Orange County. These parks have mountain bike trails which at least one big cat used for ambushing human prey. In 2004 one biker was killed and another savagely attacked on the same day.
Now the same mentality is fostering and celebrating the return of Great White sharks to the shores of Orange County after a century of absence. This is hailed as a magnificent sign of ecological balance. The marine community has watched them grow in the last year from pups to their current size of over 9 ft. And two weeks ago one of them attacked and seriously injured a swimmer just 150 yards from shore. The mentality out here is one of denial which the sharks will be chipping away at.
We raised 3 sons and watched them like hawks. We still had close calls. My heart stopped more than once because of those close calls.
One scenario I can imagine myself in:
Movie night at the park. Toddler being a toddler. To keep toddler from ruining the movie for everyone else, take toddler away from group. Maybe take him for a walk along the sandy beach line.
Sign says no swimming. Not swimming but we are getting our feet wet. I am right beside my child. Never in my imagination would I consider the threat to be from the sudden attack of an alligator who would have attacked even if my toddler was not in the water, but on the edge of the water.
I offer it up as an hypothetical "There, but for the Grace of God, go I" example. I do not understand how anyone with children or who have raised children could say with 100% certainty it is somehow the fault of the parents, confident their own children would not meet the same fate because they are "good" parents and do not neglect their children.
There are no guarantees of making it through life without heartbreaking tragedies. As parents, we do the best we can do. We can do everything "right, " but the hard reality is there are no guarantees our children will make it until tomorrow. There are no guarantees we we make it until tomorrow.
It is very ironic that Disney has been a pioneer in exploiting this artistic device, and that this tragedy happened at WDW.
“Wild” animals aren’t human, and never will be.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthropomorphism
Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, and intentions to non-human entities[1] and is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology.[2]
“Just 150 yards from shore?” JUST??? That is a long way out there. I would NEVER swim that far out!
It’s ironic of course but not really a factor in this tragedy. The child likely never saw the alligator and Disney isn’t encouraging live ones to take up residence in their ponds.
If anything this is the result of the veneration of predators in the wildlife and Save the Earth community. They pass laws that protect them so more predators live near people.
It’s a designated swimming lane outside the shore break and the woman is a tri-athlete. Not a problem for her at all, other than the shoulder to pelvis shark bite.
It’s been a good many years since I’ve been to WDW, and I’ve never stayed at the Floridian, but I did stay at the Polynesian, which is on the same lagoon.
IIRC, there’s a electrical water pageant about that time, or the fireworks, so it is easy to see how the parents and the toddler weren’t paying attention to their surroundings. Alligators are very good at sneaking up on their prey.
My point about anamorphism is the false impression created thereby, that people and wild animals are similar.
Not a bit. Their law is kill or be killed.
“My point about anamorphism is the false impression created thereby, that people and wild animals are similar.”
I agree with you that Disney is in the forefront of this. But it’s not a factor here- it is in cases where people jump zoo enclosures to get close to wild animals.
Who designated it as a swimming area? The Sharks designated it has a feeding area! How did she manage to get away from that monster?
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