A hungry bear was caught red-handed by a wildlife officer after it locked itself in a pickup truck while sniffing out dog food.

The bear had let itself into the unlocked Ford F150 near the town of Evergreen, in the US state of Colorado, but triggered the central locking and could not get out.

Wildlife officers found it after it trashed the truck's interior, looking for food before then trying to get free.

Video footage shows an officer gingerly unlocking the door and stepping back in case the bear bursts out.

Then he approached the truck and pulled open the door, jumping out of the way as the bear broke for freedom.

The bear made a run for it before stopping briefly to look back, with the officer then shouting, causing it to take off into the woods.

A statement from the Colorado Parks and Wildlife on June 5 said: 'Dog food + unlocked truck = bear trapped in your truck.'

They added: 'Good lesson to bring in food from your vehicles! Bears can smell it and learn how to open doors.'