LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — A bear prompted the closure of several rides and attractions Monday afternoon at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom Park, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conversation Commission said.
Action News Jax sister station WFTV in Orlando reports FWC said an adult female black bear was spotted in a tree at Magic Kingdom on Monday morning.
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“Biologists with the FWC’s Bear Management Program as well as FWC Law Enforcement officers have safely captured the adult female bear,” an FWC spokeswoman 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 have captured the animal and are relocating the bear out of the park to an area in or around the Ocala National Forest.”
The agency said that bears are more active during the fall as they search for food to pack on fat reserves for the winter.
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“This particular bear was likely moving through the area searching for food,” the spokeswoman said.
More than a dozen closures of rides and attractions were closed Monday, according to Disney’s app.
A company spokesman said portions of the park have since been reopened.
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“We are working with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and have made the decision to reopen Frontierland, Liberty Square and Adventureland at Magic Kingdom Park,” the spokesman said. “As shared by the FWC, staff are on-site and working on capturing and relocating the bear.”
FWC said if you see a bear in the wild, give it space and never approach or feed it.
If you ever spot one that is threatening, sick or injured, you can call FWC at 888-404-3922.
Click here to read more about bears.
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