West Virginia: Huge black bear jumps out of bin at US school and terrifies teacher
A school headteacher comes face-to-face with a huge black bear hiding in a bin
A headteacher had a terrifying start to the week after a bear launched itself out of one of the school bins.
As Zela Elementary School head James Marsh was unlocking the bin on Monday, the huge bear began pushing open the lid.
The beast emerged growling and roaring, leading to the West Virginian teacher to sprint away in fear.
Then the bear jumped out and ran off.
Their encounter was recorded by school CCTV and has since been shared widely on social media.
Mr Marsh admitted he was surprised to discover the bear had somehow managed to get inside the bin over the weekend even after the school installed a lock bar.
Speaking on Tuesday he said: “That will wake a person up.
“That was 7:15 am, if you are not already awake that will wake you up.
“He looked like he was scared too, as scared as I was, he might not be back.”
The school in Nicholas County, about 70 miles east of the state capital of Charleston, installed the lock on the bin last week after noticing some torn up bin bags outside.
“It was so big, it was able to pull that lock bar in and out all weekend long,” he said.
After the encounter, the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources came and made modifications to the lock.
“We will see how it does,” Mr Marsh said. “He didn’t come back last night.”
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...