Credit: AnakeestaAuthorities have given an important update on the status of a bear that attacked a theme park employee last week.
Try as they might, there’s only so much theme park operators can do to gain the upper hand over nature. For example, while Walt Disney World Resort may be built with hurricanes in mind, there’s no stopping a storm barreling towards the Magic Kingdom – and while Tokyo Disney Resort has strict earthquake procedures, even Mickey Mouse can’t control tectonic plates.
Last week, one theme park experienced for itself how nature can interrupt day-to-day operations. A black bear paid a visit to Tennessee’s Anakeesta park, where it broke into the ironically named “Bear Can” concession stand and helped itself to gumbo.
Videos secured by TMZ show Anakeesta guests watching the bear, amused by his antics, until a female employee enters the concessions stand. The bear then rears up and swats the employee, who drops a large pot and manages to lock themselves in the stand away from the bear.
According to earlier reports, the employee declined medical attention despite sustaining minor injuries to her arm and back.
Regardless, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) conducted a search for black bears around the park’s perimeter in the Great Smoky Mountains. On Monday, it released a statement confirming that it had located a bear that appeared to be the same animal featured in the video and had subsequently euthanized the creature.
Sad though the bear’s fate may be, the issue with these kinds of incidents is that the more a bear becomes familiarized with humans, the more tempted it’ll be to attempt similar stunts in the future – which may have a much less fortunate ending.
Anakeesta isn’t the first theme park to welcome a wild black bear. Last year, Walt Disney World Resort guests were shocked to find sections of the park closed after a Florida black bear made its way into Frontierland. The bear was later captured and released back into the wild – far enough away that it likely won’t find its way back onto Disney property in the future.
Bears have previously also visited Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground, with guests snapping pictures of them roaming the area in 2023.
Have you ever spotted a wild animal at a theme park?