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Breanna Robinson
Feb 21, 2022
The bear is hungry and steals fish in a fishing factory
VIdeo
A 500-pound black bear from California named "Hank the Tank" broke into more than two dozen residents' homes last year - and now he's back causing more carnage.
On Friday, Hank broke into another South Lake Tahoe home after a futile six-month search for him by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
He's a major nuisance, and has been responsible for around 150 calls from worried residents.
Bear Update: The 500-pound bear now has an unofficial name: "Hank the Tank," named appropriately by the South Lake Tahoe Police Department. Hank broke into another home Friday morning.\n\nRead more >> https://on.kcra.com/BearUpdate\u00a0 https://twitter.com/kcranews/status/1494066003239583746\u00a0\u2026pic.twitter.com/s2vciDt6bD— kcranews (@kcranews) 1645222249
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"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," Fish and Wildlife spokesperson Peter Tira told CBS, in part.
In Friday's break-in on Catalina Drive, the South Lake Tahoe Police found Hank inside of a house after he managed to get in through a small window. The homeowners didn't know how to get him out.
The officers eventually arrived at the scene and lured him away by banging on the outside of the house until he exited the back door.
They then stayed in the area to ensure Hank continued on his way without making pit stops to other homes in the area. It is the second time Hank has broken into the same house.
The future of "Hank the Tank" has the community torn on whether or not they should have the bear euthanised or not, while the Bear League is waiting to hear back from Fish and Wildlife about potentially moving him to a sanctuary.
On Wednesday, a meeting will be held in Tahoe Keys to discuss the next steps.
Elsewhere, some people created a Change.org petition that has received almost 600 signatures with the hopes of preventing him from being put down.
It's a reminder that bears aren't like the cute characters we see on TV - one bear even snubbed a bowl of porridge (which we were told bears couldn't resist) to take a nap in a closet.
But for all of their bulking size and danger, it is possible to scare them away if you're ever in a tight spot.
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