In a surprising encounter caught on a campus security camera, a black bear startled the principal of Zela Elementary School in Nicholas County, West Virginia, when it emerged from a dumpster.
The incident was captured on school surveillance video and quickly went viral on social media, highlighting an unusual wildlife interaction within a school setting.
A Close Call for Principal James Marsh
The principal, James Marsh, was in for an unexpected start to his week when he approached the school’s dumpster on Monday morning. Despite a lock bar having been installed over the weekend, the bear managed to climb inside.
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As Marsh unlocked the bin, the bear began to push open the lid.
“You throw stuff in a dumpster,” Marsh recounted to WSAZ. “Things go in it, but you just don’t expect anything that big to come out of it.”
Upon the bear’s emergence, Marsh quickly retreated while the bear leaped out and fled in the opposite direction. Fortunately, no injuries were reported to either the bear or Marsh.
Zela Elementary Had Installed Lock on Dumpster
Last week, Zela Elementary, located approximately 70 miles east of Charleston, installed the lock on the dumpster after discovering torn garbage bags around the area.
Following Marsh’s bear encounter, the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources responded by making further modifications to the dumpster’s lock to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Wildlife experts note that such encounters are becoming more common as development encroaches on the natural habitats of animals. The shrinking wilderness forces animals like the black bear to venture into human-populated areas in search of food.
In light of the event, the school community is considering a change in its mascot from the Mustangs to the Black Bears, reflecting the recent incident.
