A family were shocked when a hungry wild bear climbed onto their kitchen table to steal rice.

The baby Asian black bear clambered onto the terrace and reached for the rice cooker at the home in rural Nakhon Ratchasima province on August 20.

It kept reaching for the appliance even as resident Zen Kritsada pulled it away. Several bottles of cooking oil and condiments were knocked over in the struggle.

Zen believes the bear may have been attracted by the smell of omelette, which he was cooking in his hillside wooden house where his girlfriend was also staying at the time.

He said: ‘I saw the bear while preparing my omelette meal. I think the cooking smell made the cub hungry and went inside the kitchen.

‘I didn’t know my cooking was so good that even the local bears want to try it.’

After the rice tug of war, the cub continued to look for food in the same spot before running away after the officer hit gallon bottles on the ground to scare it.

The bear climbed down the kitchen from the window where it entered and headed towards the forest to continue its search for food.

Asian black bears or ‘moon bears’ have the typical rounded teddy bear-like ears. They have distinct V-shaped cream or white marks on their chests with shaggy fur.