Bear Sighting in Disney World's Magic Kingdom Prompts Partial Closure of Park
A few sections Magic Kingdom have reopened, however the park is still working with Florida authorities on "capturing and relocating" the bear.
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Disney World's Magic Kingdom Park received an unexpected visitor — without a theme park ticket — to the Orlando, Florida property on Monday.
According to News 6 Click Orlando, a black bear was stuck in a tree on the western side of the park near Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in Frontierland, causing nearly half of the theme park to close. Rides including Pirates of the Caribbean, Jungle Cruise, and Haunted Mansion were delayed in opening.
In a photo shared by a Disney fan blog, Blog Mickey, Cast Members are shown blocking the entrance to the park’s Adventureland, one of the lands temporarily closed by the incident.
“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,” Walt Disney World communications shared in a statement with Travel + Leisure. “As shared by the FWC, staff are on site and working on capturing and relocating the bear.”
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) confirmed the black bear sighting.
“Biologists with the FWC’s Bear Management Program, as well as FWC Law Enforcement officers, are on scene. In most cases," the FWC shared with T+L. "It is best for bears to be given space and to move along on their own, but given this situation, staff are working on capturing and relocating the bear.”
While bears are not common in Florida, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission estimates that there are over 4,000 black bears in the state. Authorities have yet to share how the bear made its way into Magic Kingdom Park but believe that this particular bear was likely on the search for food as the fall is a common time for the species to pack on fat preserves to prepare for the colder winter month.
Disney fans have playfully reacted to the situation across social media, with specific references to Disney’s recent announcement that it would be closing opening day attraction Country Bear Jamboree to make way for a complete overhaul.
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