Man tried to open alligator’s mouth as it snatched his son

The father of a toddler killed by an alligator at Walt Disney World last June reached into the animal’s mouth in an attempt to free his son’s head from the reptile’s jaw, according to a final report on the death released by Florida’s wildlife agency.

The Florida fish and wildlife conservation commission report said the 2.1m alligator bit 2-year-old Lane Graves’ head as the boy bent down at the edge of a lagoon at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort, and that the boy died from a crushing bite and drowning.

Separately, the Orange County sheriff’s office released its report and ruled the death an accident.