Infamous Bear ‘Hank the Tank’ Captured After Nearly Two Dozen Home Invasions

A 500-pound female black bear suspected in at least 21 home invasions in California’s Lake Tahoe area has been captured. On Friday, officials announced they caught the animal—dubbed “Hank the Tank” by fans—and her three male cubs. In a statement, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said Hank would be moved to a sanctuary and the cubs would go to another facility “in hopes they can discontinue the negative behaviors they learned from the sow and can be returned to the wild.” Hank was on authorities’ radar since early 2022, when cops had to ask people to stop inundating them with phone calls demanding she not be euthanized. Last year, CNN reported that DNA evidence revealed Hank wasn’t the only bear responsible for the break-ins. Meanwhile, SFGATE highlighted a darker aspect to this saga: Many Tahoe bears like Hank aren’t hibernating due to human food and garbage availability and climate change.