A California teacher was greeted by an unexpected guest on Tuesday after he charged into his classroom and captured a roaming bear.
Elaine Salmon, a teacher at Peak to Peak Mountain Charter School in Pine Mountain Club, California, was preparing her classroom for the next school year when the bear broke into her room. According to To ABC23.
Salmon said he left the classroom to make copies and returned shortly thereafter.
“I opened the door to the classroom and the bear came charging at the door,” she told the outlet.
She then reportedly closed the door, trapping the animals inside, along with her cell phone, before going to her office and asking her husband for help.
Ms Salmon's husband, Ian Thorley, rushed to her aid and tried to remove the bear from the classroom, the media reported.
Videos shared on Twitter show the bear roaming the classroom. In one video, the bear can be seen standing on furniture and rummaging through curtains. In another, the bear can be seen sniffing around a desk. (RELATED: Video shows bear munching on gumbo then pounces on concession stand employee).
A California teacher was preparing her class for the first day of school when this amazing sight showed up! 🐻🤓📚
Elaine Salmon said she encountered the bear on her way back to her classroom after printing some copies at the Kern County office. https://t.co/So5ulcckjQ pic.twitter.com/pQ1SlacMtL
— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) August 9, 2024
“My first thought was, is this going to cause any damage? We have new floors, we've already decorated it,” Salmon told ABC23.
According to the media, Sorley eventually managed to lure the bear out the door.
One of the classroom's earthquake kits was damaged in the process, but the rest of the classroom was reportedly unharmed.
“We always have an earthquake kit with snacks in it for emergencies, but he ran out of them,” she told ABC23.
The bear reportedly fled into the nearby mountains. Salmon said the bear returned, joking that it was proof of how much the bear loved “Salmon.”
Salmon told ABC23 the bear had not been seen in close proximity to students while they were around the school, but the district was taking precautions.
