Sept. 18 (UPI) — Parts of Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom theme park in Orlando, Fla., were closed for several hours Monday after a bear was sighted in a tree, state wildlife officials said.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said it dispatched personnel to Magic Kingdom to investigate reports of a black bear on the property.
“Biologists with the FWC’s Bear Management Program, as well as FWC Law Enforcement officers, are on scene,” they said in a statement issued to media outlets. “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.”
Disney said in a statement to Variety that it was was “working with the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission” to address the situation, and that after several hours of clourse, it had decided to reopen Magic Kingdom’s Frontierland, Liberty Square and Adventureland attractions.
That part of the park includes such popular rides as Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Caribbean, Big Thunder Mountain and Haunted Mansion.
Aerial footage shot by WESH-TV in Orlando appeared to show wildlife officials capturing the bear and carrying a large black figure in a white tarp.
