A sweet-toothed black bear made a surprise appearance at a Kings Beach ice cream shop, making off with a massive tub of dessert.
The culprit, a local bear nicknamed Cinnamon, broke into Tahoe Time Ice Cream & Coffee Shoppe while employees were on a lunch break. Caught on camera, Cinnamon snagged a three-gallon tub of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream before fleeing the scene.
Owner Beth Moxley shared footage of the incident and emphasized that the damage could have been much worse:
“We had a visitor at Tahoe Time Ice Cream & Coffee Shoppe,” Moxley said. “The damage could have been a lot worse. We all must be bear aware at all times.”
While the encounter makes for an amusing story, it highlights a serious issue: the importance of securing food in bear country. When bears gain access to human food, they can become habituated and lose their natural fear of people. This can lead to increasingly dangerous encounters for both bears and local residents.
Officials remind everyone living in or visiting bear territory to properly store food, dispose of trash securely, and remain vigilant to help keep wildlife wild — and out of the ice cream tubs.
