Bear’s Christmas Eve joy-ride

(Sacramento Bee)
(Sacramento Bee)

A one-year-old bear has been on the ride of his very short life, after hitching 120 kilometres on the back of a garbage truck on Christmas Eve.

Cinnamon, the 36 kilogram bear, fell asleep in the dumpster and snoozed throughout the whole ordeal.

The garbage truck driver told a local news station, "about halfway down the mountains my truck is going from side to side and I'm thinking it's the road, not knowing I have a bear in my compactor."

The Hume Lake bear then escaped, and was seen by locals running loose before being tranquilised by wildlife officials, who said something like this “very rarely” happens.

Cinnamon was not injured during his adventure and will be returned to Hume Lake.

Watch the video.