UPDATED 2/25, 9:55 a.m. ET: Hank the Tank is safe thanks to DNA evidence.
Thursday, per NPR, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said that DNA samples prove that “at least” two additional bears were involved in the recent headlines-spurring activity. Due to this development, Hank will not be moved to a sanctuary or killed.
See original story below.
History is full of lovable bears. There’s Fozzy, Yogi, and even Bear in the Big Blue House.
Hank the Tank, a 500-pound bear from California who has broken into many local residents’ homes, is having a hard time proving he’s one of the good guys.
Hank broke into yet another South Lake Tahoe home on Friday, after already being responsible for 150 calls and being at the other end of a six-month search by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, per CBS.
“These are neighborhoods, there’s a lot of people around, traffic and cars. So, we have to do this in a way that is safe for both the public and the bear itself,” said Fish and Wildlife spokesperson Peter Tira. “This is a severely food habituated bear. What that means is this is a bear that has lost all fear of people and it sees people and homes as a source of food.”
Friday’s Catalina Drive bear home invasion is one of over two dozen break-ins by Hank since this summer. In this one, the giant bear broke a small window and squeezed inside, before officers eventually arrived and lured him away from the home.
As for Hank’s future, while locals torn on if the bear may have to be killed, the Bear League is awaiting a response from Fish and Wildlife about potentially moving him to a sanctuary, with a meeting in Tahoe Keys scheduled for Wednesday to discuss what happens next. An online petition to keep Hank alive has since earned nearly 500 signatures.
“I want to petition to stop the euthanization of this bear, there are other options that can be done and there’s an offer by a sanctuary in Colorado to transport the bear there,” organizer Reyna Gomes wrote. “Please join in the fight to save this 500 lb bear from losing its life in Southern lake Tahoe keys area.”
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