Everyone knows Winnie the Pooh, Baloo, and of course the bears from the Country Bear Jamboree, but a new bear may be trying to join the Disney family.
That black bear was spotted at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom park near Orlando, Florida, on Monday afternoon, prompting temporary closures in several sections of the theme park.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission was notified that the bear had been seen in a tree in the park.
“FWC Bear Management Program biologists, as well as FWC law enforcement officers, have safely captured the adult bear,” an FWC spokesperson said in a statement to the Times. “In most cases, it is best for bears to be given space and move around on their own, but given this situation, staff have captured the animal and are relocating the bear out of the park to an area in or around the National Park. Ocala. Forest.”
The spokesperson noted that bears tend to be more active during the fall as they seek to build up their fat reserves in preparation for winter hibernation. “This particular bear was probably moving around the area looking for food,” the representative said.
According to the My Disney Experience App, which monitors the status and wait times for attractions at Disney parks, Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Jungle Cruise and Thunder Mountain Railroad were temporarily closed. Sections of the Frontierland, Liberty Square and Adventureland parks were generally closed as a result of the incident, but have since reopened, according to Washington Post.
Representatives for Walt Disney World Resort did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment.
This isn’t the first time wildlife has caused a scene on Disney property.
In 2016, a 2-year-old boy was attacked and killed by an alligator on the beach at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa near Orlando. Since the incident, Disney has eliminated more than 250 alligators of his properties in Florida.
An 8 year old boy was attacked by an alligator at Disney World’s Fort Wilderness in Florida in 1986 while on vacation with his family. He was injured but survived the incident.
In a much calmer situation earlier this year, a squirrel was captured on video crashing into Disney World’s Carousel of Progress in comical fashion.