Watch video of the Disney World bear returning to the wild after Magic Kingdom closures
There will be no more churros and turkey legs for the country bear who kicked off a chaotic jamboree within Disney World earlier this week, as EW can confirm the critter was safely returned to the wild.
EW has obtained video (above) showing the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's successful release of the bear into the Ocala National Forest on the Lake County/Marion County line, which occurred shortly after the bear was captured on site at Disney World's Magic Kingdom park.
Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images; Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Video of Magic Kingdom bear returning to the wild
In the clip, the bear can be seen scurrying from a cage and out of frame while an unidentified person shouts, "Good bear, good bear! Go, go, go!"
On Monday, the FWC confirmed to EW that the bear was found in a tree at the Orlando-based resort's Magic Kingdom, likely in search of food. Biologists with the FWC's Bear Management Program and FWC officers arrived to the park to help Disney officials secure the bear, and they did so without any injuries or further incidents.
The bear's presence prompted Disney to shut down Magic Kingdom's entire west side for the first half of Monday's operating day, including Frontierland, Adventureland, and Liberty Square, as well as attractions contained within the lands, like Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Jungle Cruise, and more. Disney's communications team released a subsequent statement to EW noting that it worked with the FWC to safely reopen the affected areas and attractions on Monday after the bear was captured.
AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images; Getty Images Disney's Magic Kingdom
After causing chaos at Magic Kingdom, the creature's antics inspired a number of memes online, with one joking that Universal sent the bear over as a jab at its Orlando theme park industry competitor. Others posted doctored images depicting the bear riding Disney attractions like the Haunted Mansion.
In other bear-related Disney news, Imagineer Chris Beatty recently revealed at the company's Destination D23 convention that Magic Kingdom's iconic Country Bear Jamboree attraction would undergo a refurbishment that will bring a new show to the experience. When it reopens, the show will see its furry stars reinterpreting existing Disney songs via different genres of country music, with inspiration from performances at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.
Watch the Disney World bear return to the wild in the video above.
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