500-pound black bear 'Hank the Tank' accused of breaking into 33 homes: '[It's] used to people and being fed year-round'
The 500-pound black bear known for stealing food from people’s homes in South Lake Tahoe, Calif., aptly nicknamed “Hank the Tank,” now appears to have friends.
The neighborhood spotted the black bear peacefully ransacking fridges repeatedly, much to the chagrin of homeowners. Allegedly, he never hurt anybody but became quite the nuisance. Initially accused of breaking into 33 homes and accumulating 102 police responses, “Hank the Tank” became the subject of 152 reports of “conflict behavior” throughout seven months.
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The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) explained that Hank likely became a little too comfortable with the local amenities. Bears instinctively fatten up to hibernate. However, if food is plentiful, like in Hank’s case, they may avoid hibernation.
“They’re supposed to be hibernating,” Lt. Jeff Roberson of the South Lake Tahoe Police Department told NBC News. “[But if] they’re used to people and being fed year-round, they don’t really do the bear stuff.”
However, after gathering more evidence, it appears Hank took all of the heat when he wasn’t the only one guilty of the looting. Recent DNA tests by CDFW show that at least three different bears partook in the raidings.
“While recent incidents of bears invading homes were originally thought to be a single bear, DNA evidence collected from the most recent incident as well as prior incidents over the past several months prove that at least three bears were responsible for breaking into numerous residences,” CDFW said in a statement.
This could be good news for Hank since authorities were considering capturing and euthanizing the animal. Now, the agency is hoping to “trap, tag and relocate” the bears.
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