Hank the Tank: 500-pound 'burglar bear' captured in California

A 500-pound bear, known to fans as Hank the Tank, was finally captured after a year of breaking into several homes and terrorizing residents in California. 

Authorities believe that Hank the Tank—which is in reality a female bear—is responsible for breaking into at least 21 homes in the Tahoe area since 2022. 

Hank was finally captured by authorities on Friday. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) said that experts had “safely immobilized” the bear. 

Usually, relocation is “not typically an option” in cases like these, CDFW authorities said in a statement. However, Hank’s fame might have just saved her. 

"Given the widespread interest in this bear, and the significant risk of a serious incident involving the bear, CDFW is employing an alternative solution to safeguard the bear family as well as the people in the South Lake Tahoe community," the statement said.

After a health check, she will be taken to the Wild Animal Sanctuary near Springfield, Colorado. Her three Cubs will be transferred to a different facility in Petaluma, California. 

Authorities hope that the cubs will be able to “discontinue the negative behaviors they learned from the show and can be returned to the wild."

"When you have a bear forcibly crashing its way through a garage door or ripping open a front door with people inside, that's pretty brazen and unusual," CDFW spokesperson Peter Tira told the BBC in February 2022.

Biologists suggested that the larger-than-normal black bear had grown unafraid of humans, prompting her to roam around residential neighborhoods and use her force to break into homes in search of food. 

Hank was originally thought to have been behind over 40 break-ins. However, DNA tests conducted by authorities linked Hank to only 21 of those home invasions, suggesting that at least two other bears might be behind the other crimes. Their whereabouts remain unknown. 

Today, wildlife biologists for the @CaliforniaDFW captured a large female black bear, who will be transferred to @animalsanctuary upon a one-time permission from @COParksWildlife and @coagriculture1.

We welcome “Hank the Tank” (turned out to be Henrietta the Tank) to Colorado! pic.twitter.com/KdI0l2NtoW

— Governor Jared Polis (@GovofCO) August 4, 2023