A sanitation worker spotted dozens of brown bears foraging for food at a landfill site.

Footage shows around 40 Tibetan brown bears rummaging through a garbage dump at night in Tibet, China.

They can be seen sniffing and pawing at piles of waste scattered across the ground on September 5.

The filmer said: 'I sat inside my car gripping the steering wheel and ready to drive off at any moment. I watched them for about half an hour, excited but at the same time scared they might attack.'

A spokesman from the Qamdo Forestry and Grassland Bureau said that Tibetan brown bears are common in the region, but the incident would need to be verified by county officials.

On Monday, a staff member from the Bianba County People's Government confirmed that the dump was located far from the town, in the mountains, and was usually only visited by garbage trucks.

Experts warned that Tibetan brown bears are dangerous and highly aggressive, with past incidents of people being attacked, and advised citizens and tourists not to approach, feed, or stop to watch them.

The bears are known to favour high-calorie foods such as sugar, ghee, and other strong-smelling leftovers, which are easier to find at garbage dumps than in the wild.

Tibetan brown bears are generally docile and usually do not harm people unless a mother is protecting her cubs. However, the black variety is more aggressive and should be avoided.

These creatures typically inhabit coniferous forests, cold deserts, and grassland meadows at altitudes of 9,842 to 16,404 ft (3,000 to 5,000 meters).

Tibetan bears are considered rare and listed as a second-level protected animal in China's National List of Key Protected Wildlife. They are also included in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).