Overview

• A security guard spotted the animal around 4:11 a.m. on Aug. 17 at Camp Richardson’s Ice Cream Shop and called the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office.
• Deputies found a large black bear behind the counter, nicknamed Fuzzy, sampling multiple tubs before it exited after officers made noise and used lights.
• The shop reported little damage; staff discarded all ice cream, completed a deep clean, and reopened later the same day.
• The sheriff’s office posted photos of the encounter and noted nearly 650 bear-related calls in the past two years in the area.
• Wildlife officials estimate about 500 black bears in the Tahoe Basin and warn that access to human food conditions bears to seek out businesses and campsites.