Law enforcement officers were shocked to find an unlikely and very hairy customer inside an ice cream shop on August 17 in South Lake Tahoe, California.
The customer was a bear who decided to break into the shop at Camp Richardson and peruse its offerings, KATV reported Wednesday.
When they arrived at the scene, deputies with the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office could not believe what they saw, and took action to coax the animal outside.
“With some encouragement, the bear ultimately left, but only after showing interest in the strawberry ice cream. Thankfully, Fuzzy the bear caused barely any property damage and there was barely any cleanup,” the sheriff’s office explained in a social media post Tuesday.
The agency shared images of the bear behind the counter:
In the early morning hours of last Sunday, August 17th, Deputies were dispatched to a call for service at the Ice Cream…
Posted by El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday, August 19, 2025
Social media users were quick to share their thoughts on the humorous encounter, one person writing, “They should have this made into a photo and put it up on their ‘famous customer’ wall.”
“He was there to work his early morning shift but had a slow day,” another user commented, while someone else said, “Strawberry ice-cream is my favorite too.”
It was unclear exactly what kind of bear broke into the business, but according to the Visit Lake Tahoe website, the area is black bear country and locals work hard to protect the animals’ population.
The site also pointed to the fact that black bears are different colors:
Black bears are the only kind of bear you can find around Lake Tahoe or in California and are much smaller and more timid than their brown bear and grizzly cousins to the north. Black bears vary in color from tan or brown to black but are typically dark brown with a brown muzzle but Tahoe bears have been described as having a cinnamon color. A wild, healthy black bear should flee at the sight or smell of humans and typically weigh between 200-400 pounds.
“With a sense of smell ten times more powerful than a blood hound’s, black bears can be attracted to unsecured food and garbage in their search for easy calories, especially in the fall as they eat and drink nearly nonstop in preparation for winter,” the site read.
