Over 400 Alligators Removed From Disney World Since 2016 Toddler's Death
At least 414 alligators have been captured and removed from Walt Disney World property over the past decade following the June 2016 death of 2-year-old Lane Thomas Graves, who was killed by an alligator at the Grand Floridian Resort. The removal rate increased significantly after the incident, averaging 36 alligators annually from 2018-2025 compared to 23 annually in the eight years before the attack. Disney has since implemented safety measures including fences, warning signs, and rock barriers along shorelines.
Lane Thomas Graves, age two, was fatally attacked by an alligator on June 14, 2016, while wading in shallow water near the beach at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort. The alligator lunged from the Seven Seas Lagoon while the child was ankle-deep or less in the water; his father was injured attempting a rescue. The medical examiner determined the cause of death as cranio-cervical trauma and drowning. Following the incident, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission records show that alligator removals from Disney property increased substantially: from an average of 23 annually in the eight years prior to 2016, to 83 removals in 2016 itself, 57 in 2017, and an average of 36 annually from 2018 to 2025. In response to the tragedy, Disney installed fences, warning signs, and large rock barriers to restrict visitor access to shorelines. The captured alligators are transferred to licensed alligator farms and private hunting preserves rather than being euthanized on Disney property.
What different sources said
- TMZCenter
414 Alligators Removed From Disney World Since Toddler's Tragic Death
- WDW News TodayCenter
Over 400 Alligators Have Been Removed From Walt Disney World Since 2016 Tragedy
- The IndependentLeft
414 alligators removed from Disney World properties in the last decade after 2-year-old’s death
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