As a 500-pound bear known as “Hank the Tank” continues pillaging California homes for food, local police have begged the public to stop calling in to defend him.
“Please stop calling SLTPD to give your opinions about Hank,” the South Lake Tahoe Police Department pleaded on Facebook on Wednesday. “Our dispatchers are being inundated with these calls about Hank. It’s affecting their ability to give their full attention to emergency calls.”
The hungry bear, dubbed a “tank” for his massive size, has broken into at least 28 homes in the Tahoe Keys area, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW).
“This bear is extremely food-habituated and has used its immense size and strength to break in and through front doors and garage doors,” the CDFW reported. “Food-habituated means that the animal has lost its fear of people and is associating people with access to food.”
The agency said it was searching for a solution, including relocating the marauding bear or, as a “last option,” euthanizing him. This, apparently, triggered an avalanche of public concern – not for the homeowners, but for Hank.
“The SLTPD does not have a say in where Hank lands,” police explained on Facebook. “Our local wildlife agencies are working together to find the best option for Hank. No one wants to see him euthanized. They are searching for an option that will be good for Hank’s mental/physical health, and the safety of our local residents.”
Meanwhile, Hank has continued his rampage. On Friday, police reported that he had broken into yet another home near lake Tahoe, somehow “squeezing” his enormous frame through a small window to get to the trash inside.
“On Catalina Drive this morning, Officers Sullivan and Wallace responded to a report of Hank inside a house,” the SLTPD said. “They banged on the exterior of the home until he popped out a back door.”
The next day, CNN reported, police received another call that the bear had broken into a home, this time by breaking down its front door. The SLTPD is not sure the bear was Hank, but believes it was probably him.
Though certainly destructive, Hank has proven non-violent so far. Since last summer, when his burglaries began, the bear has not attacked any humans or their pets.
This may be part of why the public has shown such sympathy for him. Under two separate posts by the SLTPD, begging people to stop voicing their opinions about Hank, countless people voiced their opinions about Hank.
“Hank the Tank is such a gentle bear to humans,” one Facebook user wrote. “They seriously cannot capture and kill him! He is a Tahoe icon!”
“Save Hank!!!” another wrote. “Don’t let any harm come to him. He has probably been displaced due to all the fires. Not his fault.”
“Hank can come live with me!” someone else offered. “I got snacks!
