A bear was spotted at Disney World this morning — and no, it wasn't a banjo-picking animatronic. In fact, it was a wild black bear in Frontierland near the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad attraction, hanging out in a tree.
When park officials got wind of the uninvited guest, they quickly shut down part of the Magic Kingdom — at least 10 attractions, according to wdwmagic.com, including the Haunted Mansion, Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Caribbean, Big Thunder Mountain, and of course, Country Bear Jamboree.
Aerial footage captured by WESH shows a group of people first searching for the bear in the park's forested area, and then carrying the bear — wrapped in a white tarp — out, so that it could be relocated to Ocala National Forest. The closed park attractions eventually reopened.
From NBC News:
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said it was aware of a black bear reported to be in a tree at the Orlando resort's Magic Kingdom. The agency said it was working on capturing and relocating the animal.
Around 1:30 p.m. ET, NBC affiliate WESH of Orlando's helicopter captured aerial footage of what appeared to be the bear in a white tarp carried by multiple law enforcement agents moving out of a wooded area.
In an update after 2 p.m. ET, the FWC said its biologists with the agency's Bear Management Program and FWC law enforcement officers safely captured the adult female bear.
