Hank the Tank Bear Doing a Break-in South Lake Tahoe.Photo:California Department of Fish and Wildlife
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
An infamous black bearlinked to over 20 home break-ins in South Lake Tahoe, California, has been captured, according to wildlife officials.
The CDFW started closely monitoring Hank the Tank, also known as Bear 64F, in 2022 and linked the bear to the 21 incidents mentioned above between February 2022 and May 2023.
Hank the Tank Bear Caught.California Department of Fish and Wildlife
The agency encountered the notorious bear earlier this year but did not capture the animal then.
“In March of 2023, she was discovered denning under a residence in South Lake Tahoe along with her three male cubs of the year,” per the release. “Staff from CDFW and the Nevada Department of Wildlife immobilized the bear, collected DNA evidence, attached an ear tag, and affixed a satellite tracking collar to the bear.”
On Friday, CDFW wildlife officials safely immobilized and took in Hank the Tank and her three cubs.
The bears are undergoing veterinary checks before moving on to their new homes.
“Pending a successful veterinary check, CDFW has secured permission from the State of Colorado to transport the female black bear, known as 64F, and place it with The Wild Animal Sanctuary,” CDFW wrote of the Bear 64’s future.
The Wild Animal Sanctuary, located in Keenesburg,Colorado, is looking forward to welcoming the black bear to its expansive facilities.
“We’re just glad that we can help and can give her a good home,” Pat Craig, the executive director of The Wild Animal Sanctuary, shared in a statement to PEOPLE. “Obviously, we’d like to see all animals stay in the wild, but at the same time, those that need to be removed from the wild — and can either be euthanized or go to a sanctuary — this one can go to our sanctuary, and we can give her a semi-natural place to live.”
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According to CDFW, the decision was made, in part, due to Hank the Tank’s popularity.
“Relocation is not typically an option for conflict animals over concern that relocating an animal will relocate the conflict behavior to a different community. However, given the widespread interest in this bear, and the significant risk of a serious incident involving the bear, CDFW is employing an alternative solution to safeguard the bear family as well as the people in the South Lake Tahoe community,” the agency explained.
CDFW added that Bear 64’s cubs will “potentially be relocated toSonoma County Wildlife Rescue, a CDFW-permitted wildlife rehabilitation facility in Petaluma, in hopes they can discontinue the negative behaviors they learned from the sow and can be returned to the wild.”
The group is said to have broken into homes through garages, windows, and doors, all in an effort to reach human food,The New York Timespreviously reported.
In response to the news, all the bears involved in the break-ins earned the Hank the Tank moniker.
source: people.com
