What to do with 500-pound bear 'Hank the Tank' raiding California homes

Wildlife authorities are trying to trap a 500-pound black bear — known as Hank the Tank — that has broken into dozens of homes in South Lake Tahoe, Calif.

Residents, the state’s wildlife service and the nonprofit BEAR League are deciding what to do with the enormous bear that has become accustomed to entering homes for food.

There have been no reports of injuries caused by Hank’s visits, according to media accounts.

Wildlife officials and residents in South Lake are debating whether the bear should be killed, according to CBS News in Sacramento.

“The bear is well-known and now wanted by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. A spokesperson said the bear has damaged dozens of homes and is responsible for more than 150 calls,” the news agency said in a recent report.

The BEAR League, a California nonprofit that helps bears and people live together peacefully, is trying to find a sanctuary to take Hank.

Hank grew to his enormous size by entering unlocked homes and raiding the refrigerator, said Ann Bryant, executive director of the BEAR League.

It’s not a bear problem but a people problem, she told the Tribune-Review by phone.

“People left doors and windows open — and the bears think it’s a big box of food,” she said. “The bears learned this. We haven’t wanted to change our behavior to keep them out of the houses.”

The BEAR League and local police said that Tahoe Keys, a neighborhood Hank has “adopted,” has rules prohibiting garbage can enclosures that are animal resistant.

“It’s easier for some people to let the problem happen and then call someone and say ‘kill him,’ ” Bryant said.

Bears find much more food easily by accessing a refrigerator than going into the woods to pick berries, she noted.

The phones at Bryant’s organization have been ringing off the hook, she said Monday. They have the money and have lined up potential sanctuaries to take Hank.

Bryant agrees with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife that Hank cannot be relocated in the wild given his eating habits.

Her organization had not heard back from the department Monday afternoon about its offer to send Hank to a sanctuary whenever he is trapped.