Thieving California bear 'Hank the Tank' is actually female, and now she has a new home

Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY
Updated ·4 min read
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A California black bear nicknamed "Hank the Tank" was captured and relocated last week to the Wild Animal Sanctuary in Colorado. Because the bear is female, sanctuary staff are now calling her Henrietta.
A California black bear nicknamed "Hank the Tank" was captured and relocated last week to the Wild Animal Sanctuary in Colorado. Because the bear is female, sanctuary staff are now calling her Henrietta.

A mischievous California black bear's reign of terror has finally come to an end.

Last week, wildlife officials were able to capture and immobilize a large female bear whom DNA testing tied to at least 21 home break-ins and instances of "extensive" property damage in the southern Lake Tahoe area, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said.

The bear was one of several of her species to earn the moniker "Hank the Tank" for the havoc she and the others wreaked since 2022 in the area.

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With her days of home invasions and property damage firmly behind her, the bear formally registered as 64F has since been relocated to a Colorado wildlife sanctuary, where she will live out her days, said Jordan Traverso, a spokesperson for Fish and Wildlife.

The Colorado Parks and Wildlife approved the relocation, which occurred earlier this week when the bear was picked up from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife's lab in Rancho Cordova. The bear had to undergo a veterinary check before being transported across state lines and has since arrived Tuesday morning at the Wild Animal Sanctuary in Keenesburg, Colorado, Traverso told USA TODAY.

The bear is being held in a temporary holding enclosure at the Wild Animal Sanctuary, a sprawling refuge with facilities spanning more than 33,000 acres, said Pat Craig, the organization's executive director. Once she acclimates to the sights, sounds and smells of her new home, Craig said she will be released into a 230-acre habitat.

Craig said the habitat is forested with pine trees for Hank (or Henrietta, as the sanctuary now calls her) to roam freely, interact with other rescued black bears and even hibernate.

The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Colorado has welcomed in a troublesome female black bear from California. The bear, now called Henriette, is seen in her temporary holding enclosure last week before she will eventually be released into a 230-acre habitat.
The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Colorado has welcomed in a troublesome female black bear from California. The bear, now called Henriette, is seen in her temporary holding enclosure last week before she will eventually be released into a 230-acre habitat.

Black bear's three cubs also relocated

As for her three cubs who were also captured, they were transported last Friday to Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue outside of Petaluma. The goal is for the cubs to undergo rehabilitation so that they can be released back into the wild, Traverso said.

The cubs, who were with their mother during the break-ins, were given a thorough health assessment. Wildlife officials believe one of the cubs was hit and injured by a vehicle last month, though it remains mobile.

'Hank the Tank' is multiple mayhem-causing bears

The animal was one of several large bears that gained notoriety for the problems they caused across a wide stretch of land between Northern California and Nevada.

Lake Tahoe locals, perhaps not realizing that multiple suspects were behind the ursine mischief, came up with the nickname "Hank the Tank" for any large black bear spotted causing mayhem. For months, the bears broke into homes through garages, windows, and doors — primarily motivated to reach human food.

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California wildlife officials tagged the bear in March

California wildlife officials have been monitoring the female bear 64F since 2022. In March of 2023, she was discovered denning under a residence in South Lake Tahoe along with her cubs.

California wildlife biologists and staff with the Nevada Department of Wildlife immobilized the bear in order to collect DNA evidence, attach an ear tag and affix a satellite tracking collar to her. Staff also implanted transponder tags — similar to what's implanted into pet dogs and cats —into the cubs for future identification.

Though the female bear shed the satellite tracking collar in May, DNA testing confirmed she had been the culprit in 21 home invasions in the South Lake Tahoe area between February 2022 and May 2023. Additionally, officials suspect the bear of additional break-ins and property damage.

Relocation of 'conflict bears' is not common, officials say

The agency's black bear policy, updated and released in February 2022, does allow for placement and relocation of so-called "conflict bears" in limited circumstances, particularly when other nonlethal management options have been exhausted. Though relocation is not a typical remedy for troublesome black bears, officials with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife admitted that the decision was partly due to the animal's popularity.

"Given the widespread interest in this bear, and the significant risk of a serious incident involving the bear," the organization said in its press release, "(the wildlife agency) is employing an alternative solution to safeguard the bear family as well as the people in the South Lake Tahoe community."

Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Hank the Tank,' a bear tied to California break-ins, gets a new home