Disney announced on Friday, June 17, that it is taking immediate precautionary action at their resorts following the tragic death of 2-year-old toddler Lane Graves.
“We are installing signage and temporary barriers at our resort beach location and are working on permanent, long-term solutions at our beaches,” Walt Disney World Resort vice president Jacquee Wahler said in a statement. “We continue to evaluate processes and procedures for our entire property, and, as part of this, we are reinforcing training with our cast for reporting sightings and interactions with wildlife and are expanding our communication to guests on this topic.”
Wahler’s announcement comes just three days after Nebraska native Graves was attacked by an alligator at a Disney World resort in Orlando and died from “drowning and traumatic injuries.”
As previously reported, the toddler was visiting the Disney World resort with his parents, Matt and Melissa Graves, and a 4-year-old sister, and was playing in the shallows of the resort’s lagoon when the alligator snatched him.
Matt tried to grab his son back from the reptile but was unsuccessful. The boy’s body was found intact 16 hours later, not far from where he was taken.
“Words cannot describe the shock and grief our family is experiencing over the loss of our son,” the Graves said in a statement on Thursday, June 16. “We are devastated and ask for privacy during this extremely difficult time. To all of the local authorities and staff who worked tirelessly these past 24 hours, we express our deepest gratitude.”
Walt Disney Co. Chairman and CEO Bob Iger released a statement following the attack on Wednesday.
“As a parent and a grandparent, my heart goes out to the Graves family during this time of devastating loss,” he said. “My thoughts and prayers are with them, and I know everyone at Disney joins me in offering our deepest sympathies.”
Neighbors of the Graveses in Elkhorn, Nebraska, have wrapped blue ribbons around trees in memory of Lane, and volunteers are coordinating a “meal train” and making arrangements to babysit Lane’s 4-year-old sister, Ella, according to local station KETV.
