(UPI) — A 500-pound black bear nicknamed Hank the Tank is causing alarm in a town near California’s Lake Tahoe where the massive bruin has been blamed for breaking into dozens of properties.
Police in South Lake Tahoe, Calif., said the bear struck again on Friday, escalating his antics by busting into a locked and secured home rather than his usual modus operandi of entering unlocked garages in his search for food.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife says Hank is responsible for damage to 38 homes and has triggered more than 150 calls to authorities, according to KNRV-TV.
Officers responding to the latest call said they found the bear inside a locked home after he had apparently squeezed through the small window. Police said they “banged on the exterior of the home” until Hank “popped out a back door.”
Police remained in the area “to ensure he continued on his way without damaging any other homes.”
The repeated appearances of Hank in the same gated South Lake Tahoe neighborhood are concerning enough for state conservation officials to consider whether the bruin should be trapped and euthanized.
Euthanasia is a measure of last resort for “severely habituated or human-food conditioned black bears,” the agency said, but added in a statement to the area’s homeowners that “for months — and despite hazing and other mitigation efforts, the target bear has caused extensive property damage and forcefully entered several homes — including occupied homes.”
Wildlife managers said they have DNA samples “to make sure only the targeted bear is captured.
“We were actively trapping last week — with no success. At the moment, we have pulled our bear traps and are evaluating our options in dealing with this very problematic bear.”
The BEAR League, an animal protection organization based in Homewood, Calif., says that because of his enormous size and home-breaking expertise, it is clear that Hank “can no longer be allowed to remain free.”
But the organization remains “vehemently opposed” to any plan to kill him.
The group says it is “frantically working to save his life by reaching out to various wildlife sanctuaries in hopes of finding him a safe home,” and blamed the neighborhood’s homeowners association for failing to persuade residents to properly secure their garages.
The BEAR League posted security camera video showing Hank the Tank walking up to home’s front door on Thursday.
