Watch: Hiding bear leaps from bin at US school

Principal James Marsh got a surprise when a bear leapt from a rubbish dumpster he was standing next to at Zela Elementary School, West Virginia.

Both ran away, with the bear scuttling off into a wooded area.

In a Facebook post, the Nicholas County Board of Education wrote: "Who says principals don't deserve hazard pay????"

The principal told local broadcaster WSAZ: "It let out a pretty loud roar... I think both of us were equally surprised."

"The students at the school, they wanted to see it and I showed it to all of them - they thought it was just hilarious."