According to Disney, the alligator, that killed little Lane Graves, has been captured. The news comes one week after the two-year-old boy was attacked and killed by the crocodilian as he was vacationing at Disney’s Grand Floridian with his parents.
Officials at Disney claimed that the alligator, who mauled Lane Graves to death has been captured. On Wednesday, via a statement issued by Disney officials, it was revealed that employees of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission were able to trap and eventually capture the giant reptile.
Officials removed a total of six alligators from a lake located walking distance from Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa where the family from Nebraska was staying. Florida wildlife officials said they believe that two of the alligators matched the one that dragged the little boy into the Seven Seas Lagoon at Walt Disney World.
On June 14, Lane was pulled into the water by the wild animal as his father tried in vain to save him. Lane’s body was found on June 15, and an autopsy revealed that he died from drowning and traumatic injuries. The statement issued Wednesday read:
“We have ceased our alligator-trapping activities at Disney’s Grand Floridian resort. No positive identification has been made, but the commission has found no other gators of a size capable of the attack have been spotted in the area.”
It continued:
“The commission’s “subject matter experts” are confident that two of the captured gators were capable of inflicting the wounds found on Nebraska toddler Lane Graves’ body.”
Since the child was killed, several people have stepped forward to either say that they warned employees at the resort about the alligators or saw workers attempting to push them back in the waters. The death of the toddler has prompted Walt Disney World Resort to put up fences along its beaches, accompanied by countless signs warning their guests of alligators and snakes and telling them to stay away and not feed the wildlife. Jacquee Wahler, the resort’s vice president, said in a statement:
“We are installing signage and temporary barriers at our resort beach locations and are working on permanent, long-term solutions at our beaches. We continue to evaluate processes and procedures for our entire property, and, as part of this, we are reinforcing training with our cast for reporting sightings and interactions with wildlife and are expanding our communication to guests on this topic.”
