Watch: Principal sprints away after bear jumps out of dumpster behind West Virginia school

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. The dramatic encounter was captured on surveillance video.

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."