A group of people making their way to London from a refugee and migrant camp in Calais attempted to share their journey with an unexpected creature.
Three men jumped into the back of a van in slow-moving traffic on Tuesday only to find a 22-month-old polar bear staring back at them.
The bear, named Nissan, was on its way from Eastern Europe in search of a new life in the Yorkshire Wildlife Park in Doncaster.
A group of refugees and migrants travelled alongside a polar bear
Simon Marsh, animal collections manager at the park, said the journey went completely to plan, apart from the issue in northern France.
He said: "There was a slight hiccup at Calais. Nissan had some unexpected guests in the back of the lorry.
"Obviously he was in a crate, so it was all very safe and secure, but I think they were a bit surprised when they saw a polar bear. It's not probably what they were expecting when they opened the back of the lorry."
Asked what the danger would have been if Nissan had not been in his cage, he said: "I think a lot of people in Calais would have been in trouble if he hadn't been in his crate.
"It's obviously not ideal when people get in to the back of a lorry with a polar bear."
SEE ALSO:
Employees of the wildlife park who were travelling behind the truck in a convoy called the police. They also captured the incident on camera.
Nissan, who was born at Izhevsk Zoo in Russia, has been moved to the UK as part of the European breeding programme.