Bear gives West Virginia principal a roaring wake-up call
A black bear gave a West Virginia principal quite the roaring wake-up call when it emerged from a dumpster outside an elementary school
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A black bear gave a West Virginia principal quite the wake-up call when it emerged — growling and roaring — from a dumpster outside an elementary school.
Zela Elementary School principal James Marsh was surprised to discover the bear had somehow managed to get inside the dumpster over the weekend even after the school installed a lock bar. As Marsh was unlocking the bin Monday, the bear began pushing open the lid.
“That will wake a person up,” Marsh said Tuesday in a phone interview. “That was 7:15 a.m., if you are not already awake that will wake you up.”
Marsh darted away once the bear's head appeared. The bear then jumped out and ran off in an encounter that was recorded by a school security camera and has since being shared widely across social media.
“He looked like he was scared, too — as scared as I was,” Marsh said. “He might not be back.”
The school in Nicholas County, about 70 miles (112 km) east of the state capital of Charleston, installed the lock on the dumpster last week after noticing some torn up garbage bags outside.
“It was so big, it was able to pull that lock bar in and out all weekend long,” he said.
After Marsh’s experience, the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources came and made modifications to the lock.
“We will see how it does,” Marsh said. “He didn’t come back last night.”