Shocking Encounter at Disney World: Unbelievable Bear Sighting Forces Magical Park Closure
A surprising encounter with wildlife unfolded at Disney World as a bear unexpectedly ventured into the Magic Kingdom, causing temporary closures and disruptions to operations at the renowned resort
A bear that caused partial closures at Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World on Monday has been captured without any issues and will be relocated, according to a news release by the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission. The FWC mentioned that while it is generally preferable to allow bears to have their space and move on their own, due to this particular situation, the staff has safely captured the bear and will be moving it to a designated area within or near the Ocala National Forest.
According to the My Disney Experience app, nearly twelve attractions were closed on Monday while authorities tried to locate the bear at Magic Kingdom. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) also confirmed that the bear was an adult female.
At 11:17 am EDT, a screenshot of an official app shared with CNN by Craig Williams, executive producer at wdwinfo.com, revealed that the following attractions were closed to the public: Swiss Family Treehouse, Magic Carpets of Aladdin, Jungle Cruise, Enchanted Tiki Room, Pirates of the Caribbean, Country Bear Jamboree, Tom Sawyer Island, Walt Disney World Railroad, Liberty Square Riverboat, Hall of Presidents, and Haunted Mansion.
Aerial footage of FWC personnel on the scene shows them removing the bear.
WESH
It was uncertain whether the closures were related to the bear sighting, and it remained unclear how many closures were connected to it. CNN contacted Disney to obtain more information about the specific closures, but no response has been received yet. In a previous statement, Disney announced that they are collaborating with the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission and have chosen to reopen Frontierland, Liberty Square, and Adventureland at Magic Kingdom Park.
A bear with its top half of the jaw missing was rescued and relocated to Gatorland in Florida, as seen in aerial images captured by CNN affiliate WESH. The bear was found in a wooded area close to the "it's a small world" ride at the Magic Kingdoms. A team is seen carrying the bear away from the location using a tarp.
There are three other major parks at the resort: EPCOT, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom.
Shawn Nottingham, Carlos Suarez, Melissa Alonso and Kate Conerly contributed to this report.
