xEmbed
xShare
Florida wildlife officials say they have caught the alligator that fatally attacked a 2-year-old playing near a lagoon at a Disney resort.
A police helicopter helps search the Seven Seas Lagoon outside Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa Wednesday, June 15, 2016, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.(Photo: Phelan M. Ebenhack, AP)
Florida wildlife officials say they are sure that the alligator that fatally attacked a 2-year-old outside of a Disney resort has been killed.
The reptile has been euthanized, Tammy Sapp, a spokeswoman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, confirmed to USA TODAY.
The state commission<span style="color: Red;">*</span>said in a statement Wednesday that it was positive that the alligator believed to have killed Lane Graves of Nebraska during a family vacation had been removed from the Seven Seas Lagoon by wildlife experts. The agency said this determination was based on conditions observed by experts.
Lane was wading the evening of June 14<span style="color: Red;">*</span>in the lagoon outside the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa in Orlando when the alligator snatched him and pulled him into the water. The boy's father, Matt Graves, tussled with the alligator but was unable to save Lane. Searchers found the little boy's body after combing the lagoon overnight.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>The family held a funeral on Tuesday.
"There are no words to describe the profound sadness we feel for the family of Lane Graves," Nick Wiley, executive director of the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, said in a statement. "We will continue to keep this family close to our hearts as they deal with the pain and grief of the loss of Lane."
For the time being, the Fish and Wildlife Service has suspended alligator trapping in the lagoon.
Based on the observances of investigators, the state agency said that trappers captured three alligators believed to be of similar size as the one that snatched and killed Lane and two of those alligators were near the attack site. Two of the alligators were capable of inflicting the type of wounds that the little boy suffered, the agency said in a statement.
"The FWC is confident that the alligator responsible for the attack has been removed," read a statement released Wednesday. "This conclusion is based on expert analyses and observations by staff with extensive experience in investigating fatal alligator bite incidents."
The Graves family, reached through a spokeswoman, declined to comment.
Powered By WizardRSS.com |
Full Text RSS Feed
