Bear + garbage truck = awesome
According to media reports Thrusday, a New Mexico bear hitched a ride on top of a garbage truck, traveling at least 5 miles on the vehicle before it was able to make its escape up a tree.
As reported by The Guardian, Santa Fe National Forest spokeswoman Julie Anne Overton says the driver was picking up a dumpster last week when he heard a squeal then realized the bear was on top of the truck. It rode atop the vehicle to a site where the Forest Service keeps a firefighting helicopter.
“The driver didn’t know the bear was in there, and he unknowingly dumped the bear into the truck along with the dumpster’s contents,” Julie Anne Overton with the Santa Fe National Forest told ABC. “He said he heard a squeal.”
Helicopter mechanic Evan Welsch, who snapped photos of the bear, said about 30 Forest Service and National Park workers had gathered around to see the spectacle when it was suggested that the driver back up near a tree to give the animal an escape route.
The bear clamored for the tree and stayed up there about an hour or two before scurrying down and running off.
In July wildlife officials in New Mexico said a bear attacked a woman who was running a marathon in a national preserve in the north of the state. The woman suffered several bites and scratches and had injuries to her head, neck and upper body that were not life-threatening.
Johnson’s footage of the bear has gotten over 68,000 views on his Facebook page as of this morning.
You can see the video of the bear on the garbabe truck below.