95 alligators removed from Disney property in Orlando since toddler killed

FWC permits Disney to remove up to 400 gators through April 2023

ORLANDO, Fla. – Disney is continuing to do all it can to remove alligators from its Seven Seas Lagoon more than a year after a 2-year-old boy was drowned by a gator.

A lighthouse on the shore of the lake serves as a tribute and reminder of a heartbreaking story.

Lane Graves was building sandcastles on the beach of Disney's Grand Floridian resort in June 2016 when an alligator lunged at him and pulled him underwater.

Authorities recovered his body the following afternoon.

Since the attack, Disney has placed signs, fences and rocks along the resort's lake to protect visitors.

Disney is now taking it a step further by significantly increasing the number of gators captured on its property.

Click here to see Walt Disney World Resort nuisance alligator harvests from May 14, 2006, through Aug. 26, 2015.

In the 15 months before the attack, trappers removed 45 nuisance alligators from the lake. But since the attack, trappers have captured 95 gators, 10 of which were captured the week following the attack.

The most recent capture was on Sept. 5 when trappers captured an 11-foot long gator. It’s unclear where on Disney property the gator was found.

It looks like Disney has no plans of slowing down in its efforts.

Earlier this year, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission issued a revised permit to Disney, allowing them to remove up to 400 alligators through April 2023. They were previously permitted to remove up to 300.


About the Author
Jenise Fernandez headshot

Jenise Fernandez joined the Local 10 News team in November 2014. She is thrilled to be back home reporting for the station she grew up watching. Jenise, who is from Miami and graduated from Florida International University, also interned at Local 10 while she was in college.

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