THIS is the moment a huge American black bear broke into an ice cream parlor in search of a very specific flavor.

Startling images reveal what officers from the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office encountered when they arrived at a South Lake Tahoe store in California.

Taking to Facebook to share the bizarre moment, the Sheriff’s Office said its deputies “could barely believe their eyes”.

The authorities responded to the Ice Cream Shop at Camp Richardson in South Lake Tahoe shortly after 4 a.m. on August 17, following a security guard’s report of a noise and the startling discovery of a bear inside.

Photographs from the scene depict the bear, affectionately named Fuzzy by the officers, standing behind the counter staring directly at the deputies upon their arrival.

It could easily be mistaken for AI or an employee in a realistic bear costume waiting to serve a customer.

Locals have commented on the now viral post saying “bear needs an apron” and “he wants to know what flavor you want”.

“Showed up to work early lol,” a third joked.

“The deputies could barely believe their eyes as they saw a large bear behind the counter of the shop,” the Sheriff’s Office wrote.

However, officers revealed that sweet-toothed Fuzzy made a beeline for just one item on the menu – strawberry ice cream.

“With some encouragement, the bear ultimately left but only after showing interest in the strawberry ice cream,” they revealed.

“Thankfully, Fuzzy the bear caused barely any property damage and there was barely any cleanup.”

“Fuzzy’s Favorite Strawbear-ry or Strawbearry would be a great new name for that flavor!” one delighted Facebook user suggested.

Despite bunches of bananas hanging behind Fuzzy and the shops offerings of 20 flavors and over a dozen toppings, strawberry was his main interest.

The only clean up for workers was the sticky paw prints left on the shop floor and the removal of overturned ice cream tubs.

Officers managed to persuade Fuzzy to leave by making noise and shining their flash lights.

“We’re quite certain he didn’t sanitize his claws before entering, so we had to restock all the ice cream,” mentioned William Boas, vice president of operations at ExplorUS, the company managing Camp Richardson Resort, in a comment to The New York Times following the incident.

Following a deep clean, the parlor was reopened later that same day.

Areas that are known to have a large bear population, particularly campsites, often have strict rules about how to carry and dispose of food safely.

It comes as the animals get too used to human food that is more readily available and could pose a safety threat to themselves and humans.

“Bears who have been fed human food will begin to associate campsites, bags, garbage cans, and even cars with food,” the National Park Service warns.

“These food-conditioned bears can become dangerous.”

Nonetheless, it is exceptionally rare for black bears to attack humans, with fewer than one fatality per year resulting from an encounter with an American Black Bear, according to the North American Bear Center.