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Thread: Squirrel on Tracks Halts Monorail at Grand Floridian

  1. #1

    Squirrel on Tracks Halts Monorail at Grand Floridian

    See the Video Here

    I for one would have been perfectly alright with the wait! I do find it pretty comical, though! Too bad it wasn't a chipmunk!

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  3. #2

    So glad I wasn't on that monorail!

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  4. #3

    That made my DD laugh for ages!

     

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  5. #4
    Registered User houseofmouse's Avatar
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    Aww he was so cute and when he laid down for a second, too sweet. I think it's nice the driver didn't squish it. Thanks for sharing.

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  6. #5

    Squirrel on Tracks Halts Monorail at Grand Floridian

    That is unacceptable for Disney in my opinion. The people on the monorail are paying good money to be at Disney and they have to sit on a monorail for 45 min just because of a little squirrel! That is unacceptable for Disney!!


  7. #6
    Hacker, nonmammaltarian, Warrior Andrew's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Disney1218freak View Post
    That is unacceptable for Disney!!
    What would you have them do?
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    Registered User petesimac's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Disney1218freak View Post
    That is unacceptable for Disney in my opinion. The people on the monorail are paying good money to be at Disney and they have to sit on a monorail for 45 min just because of a little squirrel! That is unacceptable for Disney!!
    Anything other than the way this was handled would have been unacceptable. Kudos to the driver and her supervisors for allowing her to take this course of action.
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    Gravity release me... tappenfeat's Avatar
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    So imagine if the monorail did run the squirrel over, then there would be so many upset people and children. So the driver did the right thing! I agree, Kudos to the driver!

    Could you imagine the headlines? "Monorail runs over squirrel and killing it." ASPCA would be all over that one!

    And, Disney himself was a huge animal lover...no matter what creature big or small.




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  10. #9
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    We've seen them wait for ducks to move off the tracks at DL. Not for 45 minutes but quite a while.

    It was kind of fun, actually.

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  11. #10

    that poor squirrel. Can you imagine how terrified it was that this big thing is coming after it and honking at it. then as it runs away it runs in to a huge crowd of people. I for one am happy that the driver waited for the squirrel to get off the track.

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  12. #11

    Not to mention, I'm sure the monorail itself wouldn't be very fond of running over the squirrel. Assume it gets pinned next to a guide wheel or something. Then you wind up with a dragging guide wheel. Remember/know of the 1985 Monorail Silver fire?

    But mostly, I agree with what Tappenfeat said. Walt Disney World is a place for FAMILIES. Imagine a parent having to explain why the super cool Monorail driver ran over Chip to their six-year old child. And not only that, the "splat" that would remain on the beam the rest of the day until the maintenance crews can clean it overnight. This was definitely the right move by the Monorail driver and Disney in general.

    I actually don't think that guy was all that scared! I mean, he just moved a few feet, then stopped for a bit. Then a few feet and stopped again. I'd think if he was really scared, he'd have high-tailed it out of there much quicker!


  13. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by Disney1218freak View Post
    That is unacceptable for Disney in my opinion. The people on the monorail are paying good money to be at Disney and they have to sit on a monorail for 45 min just because of a little squirrel! That is unacceptable for Disney!!
    Oh come on! Squishing A squirrel in front of families would surely have been worse. It was cute. 45 minutes of cuteness on vacation. Everyone's got time for that!
     

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  14. #13
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    based on the general consensus (thus far), probably a good thing I wasn't driving (what squirrel?)

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  15. #14

    Compassion for anyone weaker than us is what makes us human. Way to go monorail pilot!

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  16. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by Disney1218freak View Post
    That is unacceptable for Disney in my opinion.
    It's really hard for me to believe that this is what you really think. What were the options? Wait it out or run it over. Those were the options. Disney doesn't control the wildlife around its property. If a squirrel gets on the track, then they have to wait it out. Or do you now want legal to step in and put fences and nets around everything to make sure a critter doesn't get on the track?
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  17. #16
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    I think it's interesting that everyone is assuming that it was an isolated decision on the monorail pilot's part. Don't you think that the pilot was likely in continual contact with the tower, and that the tower had the final decision?


  18. #17

    It would almost have to be that way. Otherwise the tower would be yelling at the driver to get the lead out.

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  19. #18

    Regardless of what the tower says, I think it's actually the DRIVER that really has the final say. The assumption that it's the other way around is that the driver would care more about his/her job than a life. If I were in the situation, I don't think I'd be able to run it over even if my superior was telling me to. And in the end, it's the driver at the controls of the train, not the tower. The tower could be yelling bloody murder (pun intended), but that doesn't mean the driver HAS to listen if they are willing to risk losing their job to save an innocent animal's life. Sure, if the tower is saying to move and the driver refuses, the driver could lose their job, but just because the driver held back doesn't mean the tower gave him/her permission.

    However, I would like to think they did.


  20. #19
    Trust, but verify Greg in TN's Avatar
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    Obviously the guy in this video knew what was happening, but I hope the people ON the monorail, and waiting at other stops, etc. were kept abreast of what was happening re: monorail vs. squirrel--if they weren't, I can imagine steam venting from some ears when the monorail finally arrived.

    But I agree, the driver COULD NOT run over the little guy. That would have been totally UN-Disney. I can't imagine anybody at Disney who's in a decision-making position giving the directive to "squish the squirrel." The only other alternative would have been if there were some method for safely removing the squirrel. Maybe some imagineer will invent that method now.

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  21. #20
    Quote Originally Posted by Greg in TN View Post
    ...but I hope the people ON the monorail, and waiting at other stops, etc. were kept abreast of what was happening re: monorail vs. squirrel...
    This would have been incredibly easy for the monorail driver to just hit a button and speak into a mic. Heck, they do it all the time with just regular delays. This was unusual in that the monorail was traveling forward very slowly, and repeatedly honking the horn. I would hope the driver would have made the choice to keep his/her passengers informed.
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  22. #21

    That squirrel was so cute! I love how the crowd cheered when he made the leap to the platform!


  23. #22
    Quote Originally Posted by Greg in TN View Post
    Obviously the guy in this video knew what was happening, but I hope the people ON the monorail, and waiting at other stops, etc. were kept abreast of what was happening re: monorail vs. squirrel--if they weren't, I can imagine steam venting from some ears when the monorail finally arrived.

    But I agree, the driver COULD NOT run over the little guy. That would have been totally UN-Disney. I can't imagine anybody at Disney who's in a decision-making position giving the directive to "squish the squirrel." The only other alternative would have been if there were some method for safely removing the squirrel. Maybe some imagineer will invent that method now.
    That's been invented.

    Cow-Catcher (pilot) is what they're called, but we'd have to make it squirrel-sized.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilot_(locomotive)

  24. #23

    Finally saw this and it was hilarious!

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  25. #24
    Quote Originally Posted by newhdplayer View Post
    Cow-Catcher (pilot) is what they're called, but we'd have to make it squirrel-sized.
    Which in the case of the elevated monorail track would have plunged the squirrel to an almost certain death.
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  26. #25
    Trust, but verify Greg in TN's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by newhdplayer View Post
    That's been invented.

    Cow-Catcher (pilot) is what they're called, but we'd have to make it squirrel-sized.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilot_(locomotive)
    Yes, I'm quite familiar with a "cow catcher."

    Seeing as how a similar "squirrel catcher" would simply knock the little guy off the monorail beam, I was wondering how the ASPCA-types would feel about that. Is the drop from the beam high enough to injure him? If not, then why didn't our hero simply leap to safety from in front of the monorail?

    See, I can imagine someone spending a lot of time developing an ingenious, yet humane way to entice the furry little rodent out from in front of the monorail, and safely deposit him back in his natural habitat.

    Then (and this is where the imagination really gets a workout), they could incorporate that process/technology into building a NEW E-TICKET RIDE FOR WORLD SHOWCASE !!

    And we could all be forever grateful to this little squirrel !!!
    Last edited by Greg in TN; 06-04-2012 at 01:14 PM.
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