Disney World Shuts Down Rides Because Of Loose Bear

FWC confirmed it had responded to reports of a black bear in a tree at Magic Kingdom, and “staff are working on capturing and relocating the bear,” with biologists and law enforcement from the agency on the scene.

Disney confirmed to Forbes that Magic Kingdom’s Liberty Square, Adventureland and Frontierland—which hosts Disney’s own band of animatronic bears in the attraction Country Bear Jamboree—had reopened to guests following a closure, though staff remain on site trying to recapture the bear.

FWC noted that while these circumstances necessitated capturing the bear, ordinarily “it is best for bears to be given space and to move along on their own,” and anyone who comes in contact with a black bear should “never approach or feed it.”

Bears are “more active” in the fall “as they search for food to pack on fat reserves for the winter,” the FWC noted in a statement, explaining this particular bear “was likely moving through the area searching for food.”

While rare for the theme park, black bear sightings are somewhat common in central Florida, according to a FWC map tracking sightings of black bears in the past five years.