A wild bear climbed out of the dumpster as terrified teachers fled in West Virginia.
Zela Elementary School principal James Marsh was unlocking the lid of the school's trash bin when the black bear burst through the opening.
And as the horrified head fled in one direction, the equally terrified bear ran off in another.
CCTV footage of the bizarre confrontation - in Nicholas County, in the US state of West Virginia, on Monday, May 1 - shows Marsh unlocking the dumpster's lid.
But just as he does, the trapped bear sticks its snout through the gap and leaps to freedom.
As the bear runs towards the woodland, the school head fled in the opposite direction.
When he returned, relief seemed to overcome him and he leaned forwards with his hands on his knees to catch his breath.
And as a school storeroom door opens, he talked about his near miss with nature with a staff member.
The bear apparently got into the dumpster through a trash slot looking for food but could not get out again until the lid was opened.
Nicholas County Board of Education said in a statement on Monday, May 1: 'Who says principals don't deserve hazard pay????'
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