SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Ca. – An enormous black bear that has broken into at least 28 homes and has been eluding authorities around Lake Tahoe for months, has done it again.
Last Friday, the bear, who is affectionately known as “Hank the Tank,” broke a window and squeezed his massive 500-pound body through the small frame.
According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, he’s caused extensive property damage in 33 documented cases in the last seven months.
“This bear is extremely food-habituated and has used its immense size and strength to break in and through front doors and garage doors. There have been, at last count, 102 individual reports of local police responses to this bear, including multiple hazing events to discourage the bear from breaking into homes and seeking human food sources,” said CDFW officials on Thursday.
Hank is nearly double the average size for his species. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife states that black bears weigh an average of 100-300 pounds, with males weighing more than females.
Posted by BEAR League on Thursday, February 10, 2022
While Hank might be going global thanks to his size, some locals aren’t so happy about his presence.
John Barrett, who lives across from a home that Hank broke into, told KMOV “we have to be able to protect our children and be able to walk outside of our house.”
According to the South Lake Tahoe Police Department, Hank’s most recent break-in occurred on Friday when he broke into a secured home through a small window.
"Hank the Tank," our big bear friend who has adopted the Tahoe Keys neighborhood as his residential area, is trying...
Posted by South Lake Tahoe Police Department on Friday, February 18, 2022
CDFW officials said euthanizing a bear is always the last option but that the department is “currently evaluating the possibility of placement of this bear when captured.”
“Placement of adult black bears can have significant negative consequences on their mental health and must be considered when evaluating placement options,” said CDFW officials in a statement on the department’s website. “At the time of this post, CDFW has not identified a placement option for this bear that meets the criteria of the Black Bear Policy.”
BEAR League, a nonprofit organization based in the area, is focused on saving Hank and a Facebook post from the organization said that the nonprofit has identified several sanctuaries that might be able to help Hank.
BEAR League officials said they are taking a step back to let CDFW have a chance to come up with a plan that doesn’t involve killing Hank.
This video was taken by a security camera on Balboa Drive in the Tahoe Keys this past Thursday afternoon. Obviously, this is the world renown ‘Hank the Tank’---so named by the wonderful and much appreciated officers from the South Lake Tahoe Police Department. As everyone knows, Hank is being targeted for death by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW). The BEAR League is vehemently opposed to this plan, and we are frantically working to save his life by reaching out to various wildlife sanctuaries in hopes of finding him a safe home. Hank hangs out in the Keys quite often because he has been continuously rewarded with food stored in unsecured garages (the Key’s management has not allowed bear boxes because they deem them ‘unsightly’). As Hank grew to his current enormous size---as you can tell, he eats well---he started going into houses, first by entering through unlocked doors and windows and then by using his size to easily push those barriers out of his way. He can no longer be allowed to remain free, clearly. The BEAR League has talked to the directors of three sanctuaries who have told us they are willing to work with the DFW and, hopefully, help get Hank off the streets and into a good home. We have given this information to the supervisors within the DFW who are tasked with trapping and killing Hank. So far, they have not reached out to any of the sanctuaries to discuss this dire situation. We don’t know why. The good news is: the trap has been removed, as of over a week ago, and has not been reset. But Hank is still going into homes, this is Not good news. The phones at the BEAR League have been ringing continuously with calls from literally all over the world. And our inbox is overflowing with hundreds of emails, also from around the globe. Everyone is expressing their horror over the plans to kill Hank. We haven’t talk to or heard from a single person who thinks the bear deserves to die. After all, he is only answering the ring of the dinner bell, as all bears do. Everyone wants to know how they can help…many want to send us money. We have enough money to handle all the expenses should Hank be allowed to go to a sanctuary. What we are asking for, instead, are prayers, positive thoughts, fingers and toes crossed, telepathically encouraging the DFW to save Hank….whatever 😊 …. talk to your Power Animal, let’s get them involved, too. Call the DFW and politely ask them not to kill Hank (916-358-2900... please be nice to the phone receptionist). The media is also asking us to talk about Hank, and we did at first, but then we decided it might be better to step back and give the DFW a chance to come up with a plan that doesn’t involve killing this bear. And perhaps they are indeed working on that, we can only hope. (We agree with the DFW that relocation to a bear habitat elsewhere in the wild is not an option…for many reason). We are writing this to let you all know some of the behind-the-scenes activity and to ask you to please understand why we haven’t been able to get back to all of you. It’s just physically impossible due to the huge number of correspondences coming in…. we are listening, tho. And we will not give up or rest until Hank is Safe. Thank you, Everyone, for caring so deeply about this friendly big bear. You give us hope for a compassionate future for all wildlife. Your encouragement, ongoing support, and kind words keep us going…. For the bears. Sincerely, Ann Bryant/BEAR League Director PS. Please, if you comment, do so respectfully, we’ll remove any overtly-harsh comments directed towards the DFW. PPS. Hank did not enter this particular house, thankfully.
Posted by BEAR League on Sunday, February 20, 2022
“Thank you, Everyone, for caring so deeply about this friendly big bear. You give us hope for a compassionate future for all wildlife,” said BEAR League director Ann Bryant.