8WEEK HOUR.
>> Nikki: IT ALL STARTS RIGHT
NOW.
>>> THAT BREAKING NEWS ALERT IS
IN ORLANDO WHERE THE SEARCH IS
ON RIGHT NOW FOR A 2-YEAR-OLD
ATTACKED BY A GATOR AND PULLED
INTO THE WATER.
GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE, AFTER
BEING ATTACKED BY THE GATOR, THE
BOY WAS DRAGGED INTO THE LAGOON.
THIS HAPPENED AT THE DISNEY
GRAND FLORIDIAN RESORT.
A LITTLE MORE THAN AN HOUR AGO
WE LEARNED MORE ABOUT THE SEARCH
FOR THE 2-YEAR-OLD AND THAT
ALLIGATOR.
>>> OFFICIALS SAY THEY'RE
HOPEFUL THEY WILL STILL FIND
THIS BOY.
THEY'RE CALLING IT A SEARCH AND
RESCUE.
A LOT OF PEOPLE SAY THAT IT IS
DIMINISHING THE IDEA THAT THEY
MIGHT FIND HIM ALIVE.
LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT THIS MAP.
IT GIVES YOU A GOOD IDEA OF
WHERE THE LAGOON IS IN TROALINGS
THE REST OF THAT RESORT.
AND NIKKI, YOU'VE BEEN FOLLOWING
THIS STORY ALL MORNING FOR US.
NIKKI, THE 2-YEAR-OLD
VACATIONING WITH HIS FAMILY, HIS
FATHER TRIED TO RESCUE HIM.
>> Nikki: ABSOLUTELY.
THIS HAPPENED IN FRONT OF HIS
FAMILY AND OTHERS WEREN'T FAR
AWAY.
OFFICIALS IN ORLANDO SAY THE
SEARCH IS STILL ON, OF COURSE.
FISH AND WILDLIFE OFFICIALS SAY
THEY'VE REMOVED FOUR GATORS FROM
THAT WATER SINCE THEY STARTED
SEARCHING LAST NIGHT.
NONE OF THOSE, THE GATOR THAT
ATTACKED THIS LITTLE BOY AND, OF
COURSE, SO FAR NO LUCK FINDING
THAT CHILD.
>>> THE FATHER ENTERED THE WATER
AND TRIED TO GRAB THE CHILD, WAS
NOT SUCCESSFUL IN DOING SO.
>>> A 2-YEAR-OLD BOY VISITING
FROM NEBRASKA WITH HIS PARENTS
AND TWO SIBLINGS WHEN THEIR
VACATION TAKES A TERRIBLE TURN.
ORANGE COUNTY DEPUTIES STAY
FAMILY WAS RELAXING ON A SANDY
BEACH AREA WADING IN THE WATER
ALONG THE EDGE OF THE SEVEN SEAS
LAGOON WHEN THE GATOR ATTACKED.
POLICE SEARCHED THROUGH THE
NIGHT WITH NO LUCK OF FINDING
THE LITTLE BOY.
>>> WE'RE PUTTING EVERY EFFORT
INTO LOCATING THE CHILD AND
TRAPPING THIS AL GATOR.
>>> THE GATOR DESCRIBED AS BEING
ANYWHERE FROM 4 TO 7 FEET.
>>> IT IS NOT COMMON AT ALL, IT
IS VERY RARE FOR PEOPLE TO BE
ATTACKED BY ALLIGATORS.
IT IS VERY RARE IN FLORIDA OR
ANYWHERE WHERE YOU FIND
ALLIGATORS.
>>> DISNEY OFFICIALS OFFERING
THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS FOR THE
CHILD AND HIS FAMILY.
>> WE ARE HELPING THE FAMILY IN
DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN.
>>> NOW SHERIFF DEMINGS SAID
THERE HAD BEEN NO OTHER RESENT
REPORTS OF SIMILAR ALLIGATOR
ATTACKS ON ON THE LAKE.
WE'RE TOLD THOSE ATTACKS ARE
RARE.
>>> AS WE JUST HEARD FROM HER,
IN FACT, FOUR ALLIGATORS HAVE
BEEN TAKEN OUT OF THAT LAGOON.
THEY WERE DELETE S EUTHANIZED
THAT IS THE ONLY WAY TO CHECK
FROM WHAT INVESTIGATORS ARE
TELLING THUS.
AND DAN MALONEY WITH THE
JACKSONVILLE ZOO IS GIVING US
PERSPECTIVE ALSO.
>>> THE HABITS OF GATORS AND I
TALKED TO JAN EARLIER A FEW
MINUTES AGO.
AND DAN, YOU SAID THIS
2-YEAR-OLD WOULD APPEAR TO A
GATOR NOT NECESSARILY LIKE A
HUMAN BUT LIKE AN ANIMAL BY THE
WAY HE WOULD HAVE BEEN MOVING AT
THE TIME.
>>> YOU KNOW, I'M NOT SURE IF
THEY WOULD THINK OF IT AS
ANOTHER CREATURE, BUT
CERTAINLY -- AND GOOD MORNING.
WE THINK ABOUT THEIR FAMILY AND
HOW AWFUL THIS WOULD BE FOR
THEM.
BUT GATORS ARE GOING TO LOOK FOR
OPPORTUNITIES AND TODDLERS JUST
MOVE DIFFERENTLY THAN AN ADULT
OR OLDER CHILD.
>>> SO DAN, CAN WE ASSUME, I
MEAN, BECAUSE YOU CERTAINLY NO
SO MUCH ABOUT ALLIGATORS THAT AN
ALLIGATOR WOULD DO THIS AND
WOULD, WOULD THIS ANIMAL PERHAPS
TAKE THIS, YOU KNOW, THIS CHILD
SOMEWHERE FAR AWAY TO A DEN?
OR DO THEY TYPICALLY HUNT IF THE
SAME AREA WHERE THEY LIVED
CLOSE?
>>> YOU KNOW, THEY DO HAVE
UNDERWATER ENTRANCES TO DENS
THAT THEY USUALLY USE IN THE
WINTER OR IN NESTING TIME.
BUT YOU KNOW, IT IS HARD TO
DETERMINE.
THEY USUALLY PULL, YOU KNOW,
THEY PULL WHATEVER ANIMAL THEY
HAVE GRABBED UNDER WATER.
BUT SOMETIMES THEY DO RELEASE
IT.
I WOULD PRAY FOR THE MIRACLE
THAT I IMAGINE THE FAMILY AND
THE AUTHORITIES ARE HOPING FOR
AS WELL.
>>> YOU KNOW, THEY CONTINUE TO
SAY THIS IS A SEARCH AND RESCUE.
WE WANT TO BE MINDFUL OF.
THAT YOU TALKED ABOUT THE FACT
IT IS THEIR SUMMER MONTHS.
THEY METABOLIZE FOOD FASTER.
THEY ARE UNALWAYS HUNT, ALWAYS
LOOKING FOR FOOD AND THIS IS
THAT TIME OF THE YEAR WHEN
THEY'RE DOING THAT MORE OFTEN.
>>> YEAH, THE WARMER THE
WEATHER, FOR ANY REPTILE, THE
WARMER THE WEATHER OR THE MORE
THEY'RE OUT IN THE SUN, YOU
KNOW, THEY REGULATE THEIR BODY
TEMPERATURE BY MOVING IN AND OUT
OF WARM SPACES, MOVING IN AND
OUT OF THE SUN.
SO THESE ANIMALS ARE GOING TO BE
MOVING VERY QUICKLY OR IN THE
QUICKEST THEY WILL MOVE ALL YEAR
WHEN IT IS THIS WARM OUT.
SO THEY'RE GOING TO BE MUCH
FASTER AND THEY'RE GOING TO BE
MUCH MORE AWARE AND MUCH MORE
RESPONSIVE THAN THEY WILL BE IF
IT WAS COOLER WEATHER.
>> DAN, WE KNOW FROM HEARING
FROM THE INVESTIGATORS, FLORIDA
FISH AND WILDLIFE, THEY SAY THIS
IS VERY RARE.
BRING US UP TOP DATE.
WHAT TYPICALLY DOES AN ALLIGATOR
THEN EAT AND HUNT FOR AS AN
EXAMPLE.
AND I MEAN, THIS IS A VERY
POPULATED AREA.
SO, THE ANIMAL MUST NOT WANT TO
NECESSARILY GO CLOSE TO WHERE
HUMANS ARE, I WOULD THINK.
>>> YEAH, THE REPORTS THAT WE'RE
HEARING, YOU KNOW, THAT PEOPLE
WERE IN THE WATER, I'M NOT SURE
THAT IS ACCURATE OR NOT.
CERTAINLY IF YOU'RE NEAR A WATER
BODY WHETHER IT IS A GOLF COURSE
OR ALONG A SLOW-MOVING STREAM OR
A LAKE, JUST BE MINDFUL THAT,
YOU KNOW, THERE COULD BE
ALLIGATORS IN THERE.
AND WHILE THEY DON'T TYPICALLY
GO FOR PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, THEY DO
LOOK FOR OPPORTUNITIES.
AND ALLIGATORS WILL ATTACK
ALMOST ANY OTHER CREATURE.
SO WHETHER IT IS A WADING BIRD
OR RACCOON OR WHETHER THEY'RE
GOING TO TAKE A SMALL DOG OR
SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, THOSE ARE
THE KINDS OF OPPORTUNITIES THAT
THEY'RE GOING TO LOOK FOR AND
THEY'RE DESIGNED, YOU KNOW,
PERFECTLY TO BOLT, YOU KNOW, OUT
OF THE WATER, ALONG A SHORELINE.
AND THEN THEY RETREAT REALLY
QUICKLY, THEY CAN MOVE BACK IN
WITH WHATEVER THEY'VE GRABBED.
>>> DAN MALONEY WITH THE
JACKSONVILLE ZOO, THANK YOU SO
MUCH FOR THAT INFORMATION, IT IS
JUST TERRIFYING, YOU KNOW, THIS
FAMILY FROM NEBRASKA, HERE IN
FLORIDA, YOU SEE GATORS ON
TELEVISION BUT HAVE NO IDEA.
AND ALSO, WE WERE SAYING, YOU
KNOW, IT IS A RESORT AND YOU MAY
THINK YOU'RE PROTECTED, BUT WE
KNOW THAT IS NOT THE CASE.
ANY BODY OF WATER, A POOLING
REALLY.
>>> WE KNOW DISNEY BASED ON THE
INFORMATION WE LEARNED AT 6:30,
WE KNOW THAT DISNEY WORKS WITH
FLORIDA FISH AND WILDLIFE, THAT
IF THEY SEE A GATOR THEY WILL
NOTIFY HIM TO TRY TO OBVIOUSLY
OUT OF AN ABUNDANCE OF
CAUTIONING AND IT DIDN'T APPEAR
THERE WAS ANY CONCERN ABOUT AN
AL GATE OR NEAR THERE AT THE
TIME THAT THIS HAPPENED.
SO BE SURE TO STAY WITH NEWS4JAX
ALL DAY LONG, WE'LL BE FOLLOWING
THIS.
THE INVESTIGATORS, IN FACT, THE
SPOKESPERSON WITH THE SHERIFF'S
OFFICE TOLD US THEY WILL BE
UPDATING US.
AND AS THEY SEARCH BRINGING IN
NOW ANOTHER SONAR BOAT TO TRY TO
FIND THIS CHILD.
>>> WHEN YOU'RE AWARE FROM THE
TELEVISION, GO TO NEWS4JAX.COM
FOR THE VERY LATEST.
WE'LL ALSO SEND YOU PUSH ALERTS
AS GET MORE INFORMATION.
AND AGAIN, MINDFUL IT IS A