Alligators Continue To Pester The House Of Mouse

Many were shocked last week when a 2-year-old boy was attacked at the edge of a hotel lagoon at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. However, the attack brought to the forefront an issue the theme park has been contending with for years.

In the past 10 years, Reuters reports Walt Disney Co DIS has captured and put down more than 240 alligators, according to state records. Given such a record, it’s unclear why it took last week’s attack to prompt Disney to post warning signs in the area.

Florida has an estimated 1.3 million wild alligators. That’s one for every 15 residents of the state, though incidents of attack are rare. The largest alligator trapped on Disney property in the last 10 years was 13 feet long, but most are under 7 feet.