Over 400 Alligators Removed From Disney World Since 2016 Toddler's Death

On June 14, 2016, Lane Thomas Graves, a two-year-old from Elkhorn, Nebraska, was fatally attacked by an alligator while playing ankle-deep in the Seven Seas Lagoon outside Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa; his father was injured attempting to rescue him, and Lane's body was recovered the following day. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission records obtained by News 6/ClickOrlando reveal that state-contracted trappers removed an average of 23 alligators annually from Disney property in the eight years before the attack, a figure that jumped to 83 in 2016 and has since averaged 36 per year through 2025, with at least a dozen more captured in the first four months of 2026. In total, 414 alligators have been removed under Florida's Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program, which targets animals at least four feet long believed to pose a threat to people, pets, or property; trappers receive a $50 state stipend per capture and are often authorized to sell meat and hides, with recent Disney-property captures transferred to licensed farms and hunting preserves. Disney responded to the 2016 tragedy by installing fencing, boulder walls, and warning signs around its waterways — visible today near the Seven Seas Lagoon — and reinforcing Cast Member training on wildlife reporting. Wildlife experts note that the removals do not meaningfully affect Florida's stable wild alligator population of approximately 1.3 million. On the 10th anniversary, Lane's parents Matt and Melissa Graves released a tribute video and highlighted the Lane Thomas Foundation, which has assisted roughly 200 families of children awaiting organ transplants and is seeking to expand partnerships with transplant centers nationwide.