Disney World to honour the memory of toddler killed by alligator

Walt Disney World in Florida is to honour the memory of a toddler, who was killed by an alligator last year near the shoreline of one of its resorts, with a sculpture.

A lighthouse, the symbol used by the parents of Lane Graves for the charity they set up in their son’s name, the Lane Thomas Foundation, will be erected over the summer, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

In a statement, George A. Kalogridis, president of Walt Disney World Resort, said: “To provide continued awareness of the foundation and its mission, we’ve commissioned an original sculpture of the lighthouse the foundation uses as a symbol of love and hope, to be installed on our property this summer.”

Two-year-old Lane Graves, from Nebraska, was paddling by a lagoon at the Floridian Resort & Spa when the alligator attacked him.

Though his father Matt tried to fight it off, and suffered heavy lacerations, Lane was dragged away, his body found the following day in the Seven Seas Lagoon by a police diving team.

Though there were ‘no swimming’ signs posted at the beach, there were no warnings about alligators.

Disney World has since introduced warning signs, while a boulder wall has been built along the edge of the lagoon.

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