After a 2-year-old boy was snatched and killed by an alligator earlier this week at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla., (DIS) the company announced that it will be installing signs near all waterways at Walt Disney World resorts to warn theme-park guests of alligators, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.
Walt Disney World has shut down its beaches since the attack, and announced Thursday that further changes would be made.
“We are conducting a swift and thorough review of all our processes and protocols,” Walt Disney World Vice President Jacquee Wahler said in a statement on Thursday. “This includes the number, placement and working of our signage and warnings.”
In Florida, alligators frequently pop up in swimming pools and other places that aren’t their natural habitat. Many beaches, golf courses and other public areas have signs warning about the animals, according to the Journal. However, signs posted near the spot where the boy was taken on Tuesday evening said only that swimming wasn’t allowed, without mentioning alligators.
On Tuesday, Lane Graves of Elkhorn, Neb., was playing in the waters of a the Seven Seas Lagoon, a man-made lake around the Disney Grand Floridian Resort and Spa where his family was staying. An alligator attacked and dragged Graves underwater. The following afternoon, a dive team found his body. Graves was with his family on vacation at the resort, and his parents were there at the time of the attack.
According to news reports, Disney was reportedly warned about alligators after one chased a child a last year.
Now, the company faces an expensive lawsuit or settlement, according to People.
“Tragedy could have been prevented if Disney would have warned their guests and taken safety measures,” Matt Morgan, an Orlando attorney who has been involved in negligence cases against local theme parks, told People.
