“The father did his best – he tried to rescue the child, however, to no avail”, Williamson said.
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“Right now, all we’re doing is searching for a little boy to hopefully bring a family some closure”, Jeff Williamson, spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, told the Orlando Sentinel.
Witnesses said the alligator appeared to be between 4 and 7 feet long. The father suffered lacerations to his arms in his efforts to save his son.
The beach where the reptile grabbed the child is part of the luxury Grand Floridian resort, across the lake from Disney’s Magic Kingdom theme park.
Nick Wiley, executive director of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which is spearheading the search, said the American alligator was feeding and likely confused the small child for a dog or a raccoon. So far, wildlife officials have captured and killed four alligators from the lake overnight, but they have found no trace of the boy, authorities revealed at a dawn press conference. “They had another child and a baby playpen. and they were simply relaxing out in the area and wading just in the water along the lake’s edge”.
Dozens of searchers worked through the night, Demings said, and they will continue until the boy is recovered.
Helicopters, sonar, marine units and an alligator trapper are being used in the rescue effort.
“Disney has a wildlife management in place and they have worked diligently to ensure their guests haven’t been exposed”, Demings said, adding that in the 45-year history of the resort, this is the first such attack.
Jacquee Wahler, vice president of Walt Disney World Resort, said: “Everyone here at the Walt Disney World Resort is devastated by this tragic accident”.
Demings said an alligator had never attacked a patron at a Disney resort.
“We are very hopeful, hoping for the best”, Demings said.
Florida Fish and Wildlife reported one other alligator bite happening in 2016 in a report last updated in April.
Authorities have begun euthanizing alligators at a Disney hotel in Orlando where a two-year-old boy was dragged into a lake by an alligator Tuesday night.
Despite the prevalence of alligators in fresh water around Florida, he said it was very rare for humans to be attacked.
“We have not been able to locate that child”, Demings said.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family during this hard time“, said Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officer Chad Weber. “Our thoughts are with the family and we are helping the family”, a spokeswoman said.
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The search for the boy, who has not been named but is from Nebraska, has now lasted over 12 hours. On Sunday, a gunman opened fire at a gay nightclub in Orlando, leaving 49 victims dead in the worst mass shooting in modern US history.
