Spare the bear: Hank the Tank avoids death, relocation thanks to DNA evidence

[Nevilledog]

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Olivier Knox
@OKnox
« Hank The Tank » was…three bears?

Is this a Gritty Reboot (tm) of Goldilocks?
Hank the Tank, a 500-pound black bear, has been credited with damaging a number of homes in South Lake Tahoe – prompting the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to consider catching and euthanizing him.
sacbee.com
Spare the bear: Hank the Tank avoids death, relocation thanks to DNA evidence
It turns out Hank wasn’t the only fat bear breaking into Lake Tahoe-area homes.
7:33 PM · Feb 24, 2022

https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/environment/article258742503.html?ac_cid=DM611426&ac_bid=-942954305

Turns out Hank the Tank got a bad rap. The rotund black bear from Lake Tahoe that captured international attention won’t be killed or moved to a sanctuary after all.

At least for now.

On Thursday, state wildlife officials issued a pardon and vindication of sorts for the 500-pound black bear that they had originally said was solely responsible for burglarizing nearly three dozen homes in the Tahoe Keys neighborhood of South Lake Tahoe over the past few months.

Officials with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said Thursday that DNA samples collected from the properties showed that at least two other large black bears had broken into some of the homes.

As a result, the distinctive bear with a light-brown muzzle and an inky black beach-ball shaped body won’t be killed or relocated to a sanctuary — options state officials had been weighing as they decided what to do about the habitual bear burglar.

*snip*

[Mister Ed]

1. I've been wondering: aren't these guys supposed to be hibernating?

That's what I would have thought - but it's clear that I'm misinformed, as the bears would surely know if it was hibernation time.

[LisaL]

2. I think because he has access to food even during winter, he is not

hybernating.