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Cast Members have to be prepared for many different scenarios, but this one no one saw coming. Find out why they assembled with slingshots, paintball guns, and air horns at the Magic Kingdom.
Epic Day at Magic Kingdom
Our suspicions began to rise back on September 18th when several attractions were temporarily closed. At a closer look, entire lands were closed at Magic Kingdom.
As the morning progressed, news broke that a black bear was spotted in trees near Big Thunder Railroad. Walt Disney World closed off Frontierland and all nearby locations. With this large section of the park closed, this inevitably caused higher wait times for other areas of the park.
Disney released a statement sharing that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission were on the scene to help relocate the bear. After many hours the bear was finally captured and later released in the Ocala National Forest.
Video of her Capture
The bear weighed in at a whopping 150 pounds and, appropriately, was located in Frontierland. Cast Members identified the bear running alongside the Walt Disney World Railroad tracks.
Cast Members were concerned that with the bear on the railroad tracks, she could have access to the entire park. Disney trains Cast Members for all kinds of scenarios, and believe it or not wildlife trespassing is one such training. Cast Members utilized “hazing” using air horns to help limit the bear’s access.
This led the bear to climb a tree near Big Thunder Railroad and workers were set in motion to help lure the bear down. Amid the animatronics near the Rivers of America, Wildlife workers worked to help capture the bear.
Cast Members guarded the Walt Disney World Railroad tracks with air horns, paintball guns, and true Frontierland-style slingshots – all in an effort to limit the bear’s access. A tranquilizing dart was eventually used to help put the bear to sleep and relocate it.
After two hours of an intense game of hide and seek, they found the slumbering bear. We can now see a video of this capture from News 6 below:
This was a day that no one expected, but Disney and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission rose to the occasion.
What do you think of this incident? Do you think this should have been handled differently? How would this affect your day at the Magic Kingdom? Share your thoughts with us and share this news with your Disney and animal-loving pals.
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