The likely reason why alligator lurking in a Disney lake snatched a toddler

A Nebraska toddler snatched by an alligator from the edge of a lake in a Disney resort Tuesday was likely mistaken for prey at a time of night when the reptiles tend to actively feed, wildlife experts said Wednesday.

The 2-year-old boy, vacationing with his family at the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa near the Magic Kingdom, was wading near the edge of a man-made lake about 9:20 p.m. Tuesday when the gator — which witnesses said was between four and seven feet long — grabbed him.

The boy remained missing Wednesday morning after an overnight “search and rescue operation,” said Jeff Williamson, a spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.

“We are very hopeful,” he said at a morning news conference. “Sometimes you get the worst, but we are hoping for the best.”

But as time passed, the optimism waned. Sheriff Jerry Demings said later Wednesday afternoon that there’s “no question” the child is dead.

Authorities were still questioning the boy's family and witnesses, but gave this early account to The Associated Press: The family of five was lakeside when the boy was grabbed as he waded about a foot or two into the Seven Seas Lagoon. Posted signs warned against swimming but made no mention of alligators. After the attack, the boy’s father tried to rescue his son and when he failed, alerted a nearby lifeguard.

“The worst thing you could so is wade into water, in any lake or pond in the state of Florida at 9:20 in the evening, especially in the warmer months like now,” said wildlife biologist Joe Wasilewski.

During warmer months, gators are actively feeding at night, he said. And while alligators are normally concentrated during the dry season, this winter’s record rain has provided plenty of canals and ponds to search for food.

A seven-foot gator would be small for a human attack, Wasilewski, but surprised that the animal did not release the boy.

“A seven-foot gator is not usually a size that can do something like this, but a 2-year-old child is a small human being and being in the water at that time is a recipe for disaster,” he said.

During search efforts, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Director Nick Wiley said wildlife officers trapped four alligators, but did not believe any carried out the attack.

More than 50 searchers scoured the well-tended lagoon along with an alligator tracker and two marine units through the night and into the morning. Williamson said more personnel would be brought in to offer some “fresh eyes” for the search. Nightfall also complicated search efforts Tuesday night in the dark waters, with searchers using a sonar boat.

When asked if Disney was aware of alligators on the property, spokeswoman Jacquee Wahaler said posted signs said “No Swimming.” Wahaler said Disney boats were among the first in the water. Wasilewski said the resort likely has staff to manage the gator population and keep track of sightings.

Florida is home to about a million alligators, which inhabit all 67 counties, state wildlife officials say. Alligators feed on whatever they find, preferring prey they can easily overpower.

They typically will not attack out of water, Wasilewski said, but may lunge at prey a few feet from shore. They also will patiently stalk unsuspecting prey, only attacking when close enough to grab them with powerful jaws.

“They’re not going to come out of the water to chase the prey. They’re in typical ambush predator mode,” he said.

Alligator attacks in Florida are rare but not unheard of over the years, ebbing and flowing. Since 1948, the state has recorded 383 attacks. Twenty-three were fatal, according to FWC records. Last year, a 62-year-old snorkeler was killed at Blue Spring State Park near Orange City. It was the state’s first fatality since 2007 when a man fleeing police jumped into a retention pond near the Miccosukee Resort and Convention Center and was attacked by a nine-foot alligator.

The last time a toddler was attacked was in 2001 in Polk County when two-year-old Alexandria Murphy wandered away from her fenced backyard near Lake Cannon in Polk County. A six-foot, six-inch alligator was removed and destroyed, according to state records.

In 1997, 3-year-old Adam Binford died after wandering beyond a roped-off swimming area at a county park near Lake Ashby in Volusia County to pick lily pads while walking his dog. An 11-foot alligator, possibly drawn by the dog, attacked him, pulling him underwater. Wildlife officials shot the alligator, which was still holding the boy’s body 20 hours later.

In the mid 2000s, the state experienced it’s worst string of lethal attacks with 12 people killed between 2001 and 2007, according to state records.

Minnesota residents John and Kim Aho, visiting Disney with their 12-year-old son Johnny, were stunned to hear what had happened to the child, whose name has not been released.

“We have been to Yellowstone and encountered grizzly bears, but this is just freaky,” John Aho said.

Kim Aho said, their son is leery of the water around the park.

“He’s a little freaked out about the gator,” she said.

Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said there were no other recent reports of alligator attacks on the lake. However, Wasilewski said with the rapid expansion of Orlando, wildlife officials need to take a look at management practices.

“Fifty years ago that area was just wild land and 50 years to an animal on the earth hundreds of millions of years is nothing,” he said. “They could be in the Everglades one day and behind your house the next day.”

This report is supplemented with material from The Associated Press.

This story was originally published June 15, 2016 at 12:39 PM with the headline "The likely reason why alligator lurking in a Disney lake snatched a toddler."