News of the weird: Real-life bear visits Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, causing a mess of temporary closures
Published 8:25 am Tuesday, September 19, 2023
- The spires of Cinderella Castle rise against a cloudy sky at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, in June 2023.
ORLANDO, Fla. — Everyone knows Winnie the Pooh, Baloo and, of course, the bears from the Country Bear Jamboree, but a new bear might be trying to join the Disney family.
That black bear was spotted at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom park near Orlando, Florida, on Monday, Sept. 18, leading to temporary closures in multiple sections of the theme park.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission was notified that the bear had been spotted in a tree at the park.
“Biologists with the FWC’s Bear Management Program, as well as FWC Law Enforcement officers, have safely captured the adult, female bear,” an FWC spokesperson said in a statement to the Los Angeles Times. “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 spokesperson noted that bears tend to be more active during the fall as they look to increase their fat reserves in preparation for winter hibernation.
“This particular bear was likely moving through the area searching for food,” the representative said.
According to the My Disney Experience app, which monitors the status and wait times for rides across Disney parks, the Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Jungle Cruise and Thunder Mountain Railroad were temporarily closed. Overall, the Frontierland, Liberty Square and Adventureland sections of the parks were closed as a result of the incident but have since reopened, according to The Washington Post.
This is not the first time wildlife has caused a scene on Disney property.
In 2016, a 2-year-old boy was attacked and killed by an alligator on the beach at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa near Orlando. Since the incident, Disney has removed over 250 alligators from its Florida properties.
An 8-year-old boy was attacked by an alligator at Disney World’s Fort Wilderness in Florida in 1986 while vacationing with his family. He was injured but survived the incident.
In a much lighter situation earlier this year, a squirrel was captured on video crashing Disney World’s Carousel of Progress ride in comic fashion.
American Airlines passengers ‘profoundly shocked’ after teen finds camera in bathroom
DALLAS — The parents of a 14-year-old who claims to have been recorded by a flight attendant in an American Airlines aircraft bathroom are speaking about what happened to their child.
On Saturday, Sept. 2, the family was aboard an American Airlines flight 1441 from Charlotte to Boston when a flight attendant directed their daughter to use a first-class bathroom instead of the coach bathroom, where the family was sitting. The male flight attendant had entered just before her to “wash his hands,” according to the parents, and told her the seat was broken, but still usable. Other passengers on board, including a passenger in first class that spoke to a local Boston news station, have confirmed the sequence of events, according to the parents.
“After using the toilet our daughter realized a largely obscured iPhone had been affixed to the back of the toilet seat to record her, and courageously took a picture of this with her own phone,” said the parents in a statement. “Very specific features on the hidden phone perfectly matched the one subsequently recovered from the flight attendant by law enforcement, and airline representatives confirmed the official stickers used to secure and hide the phone would not have been accessible to anyone other than crew.”
Because of the nature of the incident, The Dallas Morning News is not naming the parents or the child. The family’s boarding passes for the flight were confirmed by The News.
The situation is being investigated by federal law enforcement since crimes committed in aircraft fall under federal jurisdiction. The parents are considering litigation against all responsible parties, including American Airlines.
The FBI “responded along with Massachusetts State Police, but decline any further comment,” a spokesperson for the agency said.
As of Sept. 18, American has not reached out to the lawyers of the family or the family.
“American Airlines flight 1441 from Charlotte to Boston was met by law enforcement upon arrival,” said American Airlines spokesperson Derek Walls. “We take this matter very seriously and are fully cooperating with law enforcement in their investigation, as safety and security are our highest priorities.”
The FBI investigates crimes committed during a flight such as sexual misconduct, assault, interference with flight crew members and theft. The FBI also investigates violence against persons and property at international airports and interferences with airport security screening personnel as well as bomb threats.
“These events have left our daughter — and entire family — shocked and profoundly disturbed,” the parents said. “It is hard to fathom that a flight attendant — charged with ensuring our safety and security, and to whom the flying public is legally bound to obey — appears to have targeted and exploited our child in obtaining child pornography during a flight. That someone like this was allowed to be in that position of trust — and could follow through with such reckless behavior unchecked — should shock every parent.”
Stun gun used on 13-year-olds fighting at school
COLUMBIA, S.C. — A school resource officer used a stun gun on a pair of 13-year-old students who were fighting at a middle school in Columbia, South Carolina, Monday, Sept. 18, according to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.
The students were brawling at E.L. Wright Middle School, the sheriff’s department said in a news release. The school is on Alpine Road, near the junction of Interstate 20 and Interstate 77.
At about 11:30 a.m., the school resource officer learned there was a fight in a hallway, according to the release. He responded and saw the two students fighting and school personnel were not able to break apart the violent skirmish.
The officer then used his Taser to stun the students, which stopped the fight, according to the release.
Information about why the students were fighting was not available.
There was no word on the students’ medical conditions following the fight and being hit with the stun gun, but they were cleared by EMS, the sheriff’s department said. No other injuries were reported.
Both students were charged with third-degree assault and battery before being released to their parents, the sheriff’s department said.
The school and the sheriff’s department are working together to determine if the students will face any punishment from the district and school.