Wildlife trappers have removed at least 414 nuisance alligators from Walt Disney World property since a 2-year-old boy was killed by an alligator at a Disney resort ten years ago, according to newly obtained state records reported by WKMG News 6 investigative reporter Mike DeForest.
DeForest reported that the records from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission show how sharply Disney’s alligator removal efforts increased after the death of Lane Thomas Graves, who was attacked near Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort on June 14, 2016.
Lane was building sandcastles with his family near the water when an alligator lunged from the Seven Seas Lagoon and dragged him under, according to DeForest’s report. A state investigation later found that the child had been standing “ankle deep or less in the water” while scooping water into a bucket.
In a clip included in the report, an official said Lane’s father entered the water and tried to grab the child but was not successful.
A Fatal Attack Changed Disney’s Shorelines
DeForest reported that Disney moved quickly after Graves’ death, installing fences around bodies of water across the resort and putting up signs warning guests about dangerous wildlife.
The company also increased efforts to remove nuisance alligators from areas where visitors might come across them, marking a major shift from the years before the fatal attack.
According to DeForest, state-contracted wildlife trappers removed an average of 23 alligators per year from Disney property between 2007 and 2015. In 2016, the year of Lane’s death, that number spiked to 83.
The following year, 57 alligators were captured, and from 2018 through 2025, records show trappers removed an average of 36 alligators from Disney property each year. At least a dozen more were captured in the first four months of 2026, according to the records reviewed by News 6.
Those numbers do not erase what happened in 2016, but they do show how a single tragedy can permanently change the way a major tourist destination manages risk. Disney World was built around lakes, lagoons, landscaped shorelines, and a carefully controlled guest experience, yet the Graves case forced a much more public reminder that the resort still sits in Florida, where alligators are part of the natural landscape.
Disney Says It Works With State Wildlife Officials
A Walt Disney World spokesperson previously told News 6 that the company continues to work with wildlife officials as part of its safety efforts.
“In keeping with our strong commitment to safety, we continue to reinforce procedures related to reporting sightings and interactions with wildlife, and work closely with Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to remove or relocate certain wildlife from our property in accordance with state regulations,” the Disney spokesperson told News 6 in 2021, according to DeForest.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission runs the Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program, known as SNAP, which is designed to address alligators that may pose threats in developed areas while conserving the species where it naturally occurs.
“The goal of SNAP is to proactively address alligator threats in developed areas, while conserving alligators in areas where they naturally occur,” FWC communications coordinator Hailee Seely said in DeForest’s report.
Seely said people concerned about an alligator should call the agency’s nuisance alligator hotline so a contracted trapper can be sent to handle the situation.
The distinction is important because alligators are not removed simply because they exist. Under the state program, the focus is on animals considered a threat to people, pets, or property in places where human activity makes close contact more likely.
What Happens To Captured Alligators
DeForest reported that more than 8,700 alligators were captured statewide under the nuisance program in 2024.
The state pays contracted trappers a $50 stipend for each alligator caught, and the way those animals are handled afterward depends on the situation. Some captured alligators are sent to zoos or animal exhibits, while many are euthanized, with their meat and hide used to help compensate the trapper.
In recent years, DeForest reported, some alligators captured on Disney property have been transferred to licensed alligator farms or private hunting preserves, including Florida Hunting, Fishing & Outdoor Adventures in Okeechobee.
Ian Hall, the owner of that preserve, told News 6 that the alligators are received alive and released on the hunting preserve, where clients can legally hunt them.
“Then they are processed for eating,” Hall said.
That part of the process may surprise some visitors who imagine nuisance animals being relocated to a distant swamp, but DeForest reported that the FWC says relocation is generally impractical. The agency says alligators often try to return to where they were captured, and remote areas of Florida already have healthy alligator populations.
Why Relocation Is Not The Easy Answer
The idea of moving a nuisance alligator somewhere else sounds simple, but the state’s position is that it often does not solve the problem.
DeForest reported that Florida has about 1.3 million alligators, and the removal of nuisance animals does not significantly affect the statewide population. That healthy population is part of why officials say relocation is not usually the best option.
This is one of the more complicated parts of the issue because Disney World is a place built around family vacations, controlled environments, and the feeling that every detail has been planned. But alligator management does not work like a theme park queue or a resort transportation system; wildlife moves, adapts, returns, and sometimes appears in places where visitors are not expecting it.
The FWC’s approach reflects that reality. It aims to remove specific animals that are considered a nuisance or threat in developed areas, rather than treating every alligator sighting as a reason to empty the waterways.
A Long History With Florida Wildlife
DeForest noted that when Walt Disney World opened in 1971, guests were still welcome to swim in resort lakes, and early publicity photos showed adults and children playing in the water along white sand beaches.
At that time, the American alligator had been classified as endangered because overhunting and habitat loss had pushed the species close to extinction. Conservation efforts later helped the population rebound, and the government removed the alligator from endangered status in 1987.
Disney eventually began discouraging visitors from entering natural bodies of water and posted “no swimming” signs, but DeForest reported that until 2016, many resort shorelines were still easy for visitors to reach.
After Lane’s death, Disney added fences and piles of large rocks along lake shorelines to keep guests farther from the water. The company also posted new signs warning about alligators and snakes, warned guests not to feed wildlife, and reinforced employee training about wildlife sightings.
A lighthouse sculpture was installed near the Grand Floridian Resort beach in 2017 to raise awareness of the Lane Thomas Foundation, the nonprofit created by Lane’s parents to support families of children who need organ transplants.
Safety Lessons Remain Part Of The Story
The FWC recommends several basic steps to reduce the chance of conflicts with alligators, including keeping a safe distance, keeping pets leashed and away from the water’s edge, swimming only in designated areas during daylight hours, and never feeding alligators.
Feeding alligators is both illegal and dangerous because it can cause them to lose their natural fear of people and associate humans with food, which can lead to the animal being classified as a nuisance.
That warning matters at a place like Disney, where many visitors come from outside Florida and may not fully understand how common alligators are in lakes, ponds, canals, and marshy areas. A family vacation setting can make the surrounding environment feel less wild, but DeForest’s report shows that wildlife risk does not disappear just because the property is famous, crowded, or carefully maintained.
The newly obtained records offer a clearer look at what has happened since Lane Graves’ death: hundreds of alligators have been removed, physical barriers have gone up, warning signs have become more direct, and Disney’s cooperation with wildlife officials has remained part of the resort’s safety system.
Ten years later, the tragedy still shapes how Disney manages its waterways, and the numbers reported by DeForest show that alligator removal has become an ongoing part of keeping visitors separated from one of Florida’s most powerful native predators.
A former park ranger and wildlife conservationist, Lisa’s passion for survival started with her deep connection to nature. Raised on a small farm in northern Wisconsin, she learned how to grow her own food, raise livestock, and live off the land. Lisa is our dedicated Second Amendment news writer and also focuses on homesteading, natural remedies, and survival strategies. Lisa aims to help others live more sustainably and prepare for the unexpected.
