Five-hundred-pound bear ‘Hank the Tank’ caught after home break-ins in Tahoe area

Bear was not, as initially thought, solely responsible for all instances of property damage - there are other Hanks'

A notorious, extremely food-habituated" 500lb female black bear known as Hank the Tank has been detained in the Lake Tahoe area of California more than a year after the wildlife equivalent of an APB was issued by the state's wildlife authorities.

Hank, who was initially misgendered as a male, was matched by DNA to more than 21 home break-ins and other instances of property damage in the Lake Tahoe region since 2022. She was safely immobilized" by tranquilizer dart and apprehended Friday morning, according to state officials, and will now be moved to a sanctuary in southern Colorado.