A West Virginia school principal got a rude awakening when a black bear emerged from a dumpster outside an elementary school, growling and roaring. The principal, James Marsh, was surprised to find the bear had managed to get inside the dumpster even after a lock bar had been installed.
As Marsh was unlocking the bin on Monday, the bear began pushing open the lid. The encounter was recorded by a school security camera and shared widely across social media. Marsh darted away once the bear’s head appeared, and the bear jumped out and ran off. The school installed the lock on the dumpster after noticing torn-up garbage bags outside.
The bear was so big that it could pull the lock bar in and out all weekend long, according to Marsh. After Marsh’s experience, the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources made modifications to the lock. Marsh showed the video to his students, who found it amusing. In a separate incident last month, a black bear bit a woman walking her dog in Connecticut.