Nicole Shannon took her two young boys to Hanna Park Wednesday, with Orlando’s fatal alligator attack fresh on her mind.
“I wouldn’t even let them get (within) 10 feet of any retention pond or roadside ditch or anything like that,” she said.
Searchers Wednesday recovered the body of a 2-year-old Nebraska boy, who had been snatched by an alligator at a Walt Disney World resort Tuesday night.
The boy was attacked Tuesday night as he waded in shallow water at the edge of the Seven Seas Lagoon at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort.
Despite the concern from local parents, alligator experts say this kind of attack is extremely rare.
According to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission statistics, this is the 24th fatal alligator attack in Florida since 1948.
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Experts do say you need to be aware of your surroundings and watch where you swim.
“American alligators are found in almost every single pond, whether it’s a man-made pond, a natural pond, a retention pond, or a ditch,” said Gen Anderson with the St. Augustine Alligator Farm. “They’re found in every water source.”
Anderson said people should look for “no swimming” signs and obey them.
The FWC said parents should always watch especially young children who are in and around water.
Anderson says most encounters happen as a result of people not obeying the rules.
They say one of the most important rules is not feeding any alligators because it causes the gators to start seeing people as a food source.
“I would just avoid the water’s edge, especially if there are signs saying to do so, not to feed the alligators and just follow the rules wherever you go,” said Anderson.