🐻 The 500-pound bear Hank the Tank broke into Tahoe’s house as he evaded arrest – Orange County Register

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE – Hit the tank again.

The 500-pound black bear has damaged more than 30 properties around Lake Tahoe and last week broke into another home in search of an endless snack.

According to Peter Tira, a spokesman for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, known to residents as Hank the Tank, the giant bear evaded capture for more than seven months.

“What’s problematic about this bear is how big it is,” Tira told SF Gate on Sunday. “It has learned to use that size and strength to break into certain inhabited residential areas, burst through garage doors or front doors. It’s pretty scary.”

The bear is responsible for more than 150 incident reports in an area stretching from Northern California and Nevada. The break-in on Friday at a mansion in the Tahoe Keys neighborhood was the latest, according to CBS Sacramento.

The bear broke a window and entered the house on Catalina Drive while the residents were at home. Police responded and banged on the outside of the house until Hank got out the back door and disappeared into the woods.

Also known as Jake or Yogi or simply Big Guy, the bear is described by Tira as “a bear with severe food shortages” that has “stricken with fear of humans” and considers them a source of food.

A homeowners association agreed in a meeting last week to allow state wildlife officers to capture the bear. Previous trapping efforts, which were generally more successful in wooded environments, have proven futile in residential areas where bears have become acclimatized, SF Gate reported.

After Friday’s break-in, officials gathered DNA evidence to give an exact match if they caught the bear. If Hank is caught, officials say the bear could be transferred to accredited facilities such as zoos and wildlife sanctuaries, Tira said.

“You take it to the wild, and they starve because they’re not used to hunting for food,” Tira said.