Could Black Bear Sightings Become More Common at Disney World?
The big story coming out of Walt Disney World last week was that Frontierland, Liberty Square, and Adventureland were shut down due to a bear sighting in the back of Magic Kingdom.
While the novelty of the story had the adorable bear making headlines across the world, according to experts, bear sightings at Disney World may begin to occur more often.
According to experts, the black bear population is booming across North America, even in highly populated areas. Because of their increase in numbers, black bears are reclaiming territory that they haven’t occupied in more than a century.
Florida Is Seeing More Bears
According to Dave Garshelis, co-chair of the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Bear Specialist Group, there are roughly 4,000 bears in Florida. With all the development going on in the state, these wandering animals will likely end up in busy human areas.
“Black bears are thriving in virtually every state where they reside,” Garshelis says. “They’re very opportunistic animals, taking advantage of every food resource they can, even if that means being near a high density of people.”
As habitats shrink and human development increases, black bears are increasingly exploring metropolitan areas such as Minneapolis and Washington, D.C.
Black Bears Aren’t Usually Aggressive
Contrary to popular belief, however, black bears will typically run away from human contact and are not a threat. Despite an estimated 600,000 black bears in North America, less than three people a year die from bear encounters.
“In most cases where a brown bear and human come into close contact, not only is there no attack, but it’s also likely the human has no idea there’s a grizzly nearby,” Garshelis says.
So, while bears may soon be a more frequent sight at Walt Disney World, there is no reason to panic. After all, even bears want to visit the Happiest Place on Earth.
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