Adult female black bear spotted and removed from Disney’s Magic Kingdom
On Monday morning, nearly half of Disney World’s Magic Kingdom was closed due to a black bear sighting in the park.
Adventureland, Liberty Square and Frontierland were delayed opening until 2 p.m., when Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials and local law enforcement officers removed the bear, according to The Associated Press.
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A representative of FWC said, “In most cases, 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.”
As bears prepare for winter hibernation during the fall, they become much more active when searching for food. He said, “This particular bear was likely moving through the area searching for food,” per WESH.
FWC staff safely captured the bear and are relocating it “out of the park to an area in or around the Ocala National Forest,” which is north of Disney World by roughly an hour and a half, according to NBC.
Aerial video footage of this morning’s bear removal process can be watched here.
Since 2016, when an alligator killed a 2 year-old on the beach of the Seven Seas Lagoon, Disney has removed over 200 alligators from its parks, per The Mirror. Prior to the incident, Disney removed roughly 23 alligators per year.
This number has jumped to over 33 removals a year since 2016, providing evidence that Disney is now more conscious of the potential danger wild animals pose to visitors in the parks.
