Bear sighting at Magic Kingdom closes more than 10 Walt Disney World rides and attractions
- The popular amusement park was closed following reports of a black bear sighting
- Biologists from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission teamed up with police to find the animal
- Later they were seen retrieving a large object wrapped in a white tarpaulin
A black bear that forced nearly half of Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom to temporarily close appears to have been captured.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission confirmed the animal was spotted in a tree earlier this morning.
Around 1:15 p.m., members of the search party were spotted with a large black figure in a white tarp captured on video by WESH 2.
The staff were seen wearing reflective vests, standing in a clearing, pointing at something off camera.
Several people then emerge from under the tree cover, carrying an object wrapped in a white tarp.
The group then walked out of the heavily wooded area and carried the tarp onto a patch of land, past parked cars and into another strip of trees, where they disappeared.
Members of the search team were spotted in a clearing on the Walt Disney World grounds
They were carrying a large black object wrapped in a white tarpaulin
The team appeared to have captured the black bear, which was thought to be looking for food before the winter months
The mysterious tarp was carried to a wooded area across from a dirt parking lot
“Biologists from FWC’s Bear Management Program, as well as FWC law enforcement officers, are on scene,” FWC said in a statement.
“In most cases it is best that bears are given space and allowed to move on their own, but given this situation, staff are in the process of capturing and relocating the bear.”
More than 17 million In 2022, people visited Magic Kingdom, making it the most visited theme park in the world.
A slew of attractions were temporarily closed, including Hall of Presidents, Liberty Square Riverboat, A Pirate’s Adventure, Tom Sawyer Island and the Walt Disney World Railroad.
Crowds began to form as people were turned away from certain attractions while park staff stood guard at the entrances.
The park slowly began allowing people access to certain rides and attractions again. While Frontierland, Adventureland and Liberty Square remained closed, a helicopter was spotted overhead.
Social media videos showed people walking through the park and down the ramp to the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad roller coaster after it reopened.
Crowds began to form as park visitors were unable to enter nearly half of the park’s attractions
Some areas of the park lay completely deserted as FWC biologists and law enforcement officers worked to track the bear
The rides gradually began to reopen, but by mid-afternoon FWC had yet to confirm they had captured the bear
A Twitter video posted at 11 a.m. showed an employee trying to comfort a crowd of expectant visitors, most of whom were wearing signature Mickey Mouse ears.
She attributed the closure of half the park to “technical difficulties.”
‘We are working on it. As soon as we can resolve these issues, we will reopen this side of the park,” the employee said.
The rides were all later reopened, with the exception of Tom Sawyer’s Island.
It was thought that the animal was looking for food before winter.
Bears are generally more active in the fall as they forage for food to build up fat reserves that will sustain them once they fall into deep sleep.
Black bears in particular are skittish animals that live largely solitary lives. Their curved claws allow them to easily climb and avoid danger.
A black bear’s first instinct is to flee rather than attack, making it less aggressive than grizzlies and other bear species.