Around a half dozen alligators are taken to Monkey Island in Greenwood, Missouri, every year, according to owner Dana Savorelli.
Savorelli says the animal is usually even tempered, but it’s only mission is to hunt for food.
“Their whole life is just getting to grab a bite to eat, it just was unfortunate that it was a human being,” said Savorelli.
That’s what he believes happened at Disney World when a 2-year-old Nebraska boy was dragged into the water by an alligator. Last year Florida saw two people die because of an alligator attack, and since 2010 there have been 41 attacks in the Sunshine State.
“Especially Florida is going to have a lot of alligators, almost anywhere there could be water there could be alligators,” said Savorelli.
Travel agent Cynthia Rieggins says thousands of people from the metro make Disney World their vacation destination, something she says is unlikely to change.
“It was a horrible accident and I think it was an anomaly and I don’t think it will affect the Disney experience at all,” said Rieggins.
So far, no one has canceled their trips because of the alligator attack. Instead of canceled trips, she is warning travelers to be aware of their surroundings.
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Ali Hoxie can be reached at ali.hoxie@kshb.com
