Can they fly nowadays? EDIT: hasn't read about this and I'd assumed it was in a zoo type setup. Not sure what you can do in that environment.
The signs saying no swimming and alligators would be a pretty good sign that it probably isn't safe to be near the water.
Did it say alligators were a danger and to keep well away from the water? I don't know because I haven't read the details. I know it said "no swimming", but perhaps people unfamiliar with the area or its wildlife don't realise how dangerous they can be, and that they can come out of the water quickly to catch prey. Perhaps they thought they were safe if they stayed on land.
Its a horrible incident no doubt, but much like the kid that fell into the gorilla enclosure, have to ask what were the parents doing. See theyve apparently euthanised the alligators in that lake to see which one it was that did it... Don't quite understand the need for that. Not like the alligator did anything wrong in its own res, especially the ones that didn't do it!
I think there's a difference between the two incidents really. In a controlled environment such as a zoo it shouldn't be possible for a child to get into that situation. A combination of inadequate safety precautions and complacency or lack of vigilance by the parents perhaps. In the other case, it's a semi-wild environment with wild animals in it and there's always a risk of such things, I suppose. It's difficult to appreciate for us, we live in an environment cleansed of anything large and vicious (apart from Boris Johnson), but there are many areas in the world where there are still lots of dangers.