Firefighters at Walt Disney World were warned to stop feeding alligators at one of the resort's fire stations two months before an alligator killed a toddler.
According to emails obtained by media outlets, Reedy Creek Emergency Services admonished firefighters for feeding at least one of two alligators at a station less than a half-mile from Seven Seas Lagoon where 2-year-old son Lane Graves of Omaha, Nebraska, was killed after being pulled into the water by a gator.
An animal described as being as long as 7 feet snatched the little boy as he waded in shallow water around nightfall on June 14.
The beach, located at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa across a lake from the Magic Kingdom, had "no swimming" signs but no warning about alligators.
It is dangerous to feed alligators because it can cause them to overcome their natural wariness and teaches them to associate people with food, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said.
Feeding alligators is also illegal.
The email said employees were afraid after one gator was spotted near the parking lot and asked officials to remove it.
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Reedy Creek District Administrator John Classe said Disney's animal-control department was contacted but he did not know whether either alligator was ever removed.
A Disney spokeswoman said Wednesday it was unclear whether the gator had been removed.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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