Credit: Becky Burkett/CanvaIn recent weeks, people living near the Walt Disney World Resort in Central Florida have witnessed an extremely strange phenomenon that has left them in a state of shock as they race to their phones–to take photos and call the police.
Animals Are Central to the Magic at Disney World
Just as they have been in classic Disney animated films since 1937, animals are a big part of the magic at the four theme parks at Walt Disney World.
It’s easy to see this at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, as the park is centered around the themes of animals and conservation. But animals are an integral part of Disney World’s magic across all four of its theme parks.
Wild Animal Sightings at Disney World
Occasionally, however, wild animals find their way into guest areas at Disney World. And though there are almost no incidences of a wild animal harming a guest on Disney’s property, a small child was killed in 2016 when an alligator pulled him under the water as he and his family were playing along the shores of Seven Seas Lagoon at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort.
While it’s not an uber-common occurrence, wild animal sightings on Disney World’s property have been reported more frequently than usual in recent months.
In July 2023, multiple reports surfaced about a bear being spotted at EPCOT. Then, in mid-September, a female black bear was spotted at Magic Kingdom. The sighting led to the complete closure of the Adventureland, Frontierland, and Liberty Square sections of the park.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission officers searched for the bear while the three lands of the park were closed to guests, ultimately locating her and subduing her so they could capture her and move her to a more suitable environment.
Even before officials had the bear removed from the area, however, Magic Kingdom reopened the previously closed sections of the park, and wait times for attractions skyrocketed. An exclusive video from the Fish and Wildlife Commission showed the exact moment when the bear was re-homed inside Ocala National Forest in Marion County, Florida, approximately 90 minutes from the Walt Disney World Resort.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has shared video of the black bear that was found in a tree at Magic Kingdom being released in Ocala National Forest. pic.twitter.com/rvK09XJcg0
— Ashley Carter (@AshleyLCarter1) September 19, 2023
In fact, reports of numerous animals inside the parks have been made over the years. So far, those reports include name bats, bears, miniature horses, and feral cats among the wildlife seen at Disney World, though some of those sightings were the result of the intentional inclusion of certain animals in the parks.
But recent sightings near the Central Florida Disney parks include an animal that no one expected to see outside of Magic Kingdom’s Jungle Cruise attraction–or as part of an experience created to celebrate Walt Disney Animation’s 1967 film, The Jungle Book.
A Strange Phenomenon, Especially in Florida
In recent weeks, there’s been a lot of monkeying around in Central Florida–though not at the Walt Disney World Resort.
In the city of Groveland, Florida, just 24 miles from Disney World, and in the city of Clermont, Florida, approximately 19 miles from the parks, residents have been calling police to report the sightings of primates.
“I was picking up my daughter at school, and then I saw [what] I thought was a cat,” explained Maxel Miranda, a resident in the area who saw one of the monkeys. “When I got closer, I saw it was a monkey.”
Miranda captured footage of a monkey walking on all fours near South Lake High School in Clermont.
“This monkey went across the road, and I had to do a double take because I didn’t think that I was actually a monkey,” said another resident, Aime Krug, who says she saw the monkey while she was driving home from work.
A Strange Sight to See Outside of the Parks
Linda Wasko, a primate expert with Primate Paradise in Osteen, Florida, was able to identify one of the monkeys spotted in Groveland as a rhesus macaque. She says that the monkeys might have migrated from the Wekiva River area, located just north of Orlando.
“We can’t believe it!” said Simon Weafer, another resident in the area. “We have raccoons, and we have squirrels and stuff in our attic from time to time, but we’ve never seen a monkey, so that’s absolutely crazy.”
Wasko says that macaques usually stay with their troops and avoid humans, and though there has been no report of any of the monkeys causing problems or interfering with residents in the area, seeing the animals in Central Florida–outside of Magic Kingdom or Disney’s Animal Kingdom–has been shocking for those who live there.
The primates are just another type of animal visitors to the Sunshine State might encounter when they visit.