A black bear which was out in search of food interrupted the fun at Florida’s Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom. Thankfully, authorities have captured the animal and reopened parts of the Magic Kingdom that had been closed because of the incident.
It was just another Monday in Disney World for kids, teens, and adults alike. Park visitors were busy with the usual fun rides, dining, shopping, and adventure-seeking when news began to spread that a real-life bear had been spotted in a tree somewhere around.
It was a black bear, the only bear species in the Sunshine State of Florida. The state plays host to over 4,000 of its kind littered across different parts.
This bear was out on a mission. Fall had just set in, and as was the custom with bears, it was time to search for food that would provide enough body fat for its winter hibernation.
But it had strayed too close to the park and had become a threat to Disney’s Magic Kingdom visitors. Hence, park authorities had to do something about it. Collaborating with Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Commission, park staff were able to surround the bear and capture it.
The park management also had to shut down over a dozen rides at the theme park. In an email statement, Walt Disney World announced the closure of Liberty Square, Adventureland, and Frontierland. Others included Swiss Family Treehouse, Magic Carpets of Aladdin, Jungle Cruise, Enchanted Tiki Room, Pirates of the Caribbean, Country Bear Jamboree, and Tom Sawyer Island.
Later on, Florida’s local news, WESH, posted a helicopter footage of the bear’s capture. The video showed about 12 personnel, most of whom were from the wildlife commission, in the thick vegetation around a black figure which they later carried out of the forest wrapped in a white tarp.
“Biologists with the FWC’s Bear Management Program, as well as FWC Law Enforcement officers, have safely captured the adult, female bear,” the commission later announced in a statement released to local media. “It is best for bears to be given space and to move along on their own, but given this situation, staff have captured the animal and are relocating the bear out of the park to an area in or around the Ocala National Forest.” the statement also said.
Walt Disney World also later announced their decision to reopen the closed sections of the park. “We are working with the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission and have made the decision to reopen Frontierland, Liberty Square and Adventureland at Magic Kingdom Park,” their statement read.
The Walt Disney World resort was opened for the first time on October 1st, 1971. The park which hosts over 48 million visitors yearly, covers over 30,500 acres of land, an expanse of land almost the size of San Francisco.
The resort offers visitors some of the most exciting attractions, which include the 189-foot Cinderella Castle, the tallest structure at the Magic Kingdom, the 14-story Tree of Life, Jungle Cruise, Haunted Mansion, and the Swiss Family Treehouse.
