Bear Called ‘Hank the Tank’ Weighs Over 200 Pounds Looting California Homes | Abroad

This is what the New York Times writes. Paintballs, sirens, and tasers can’t stop the “unusually large bear” from scavenging for leftover pizza and other food. The bear has broken into at least 28 homes since July, according to local authorities.

So far, no one has been able to dissuade Hank, said California Department of Fish and Wildlife spokesman Peter Tira. Department officials and local police attempted to “shoot” the bear with paintball guns, sirens and tasers, but it never stayed away for long. “Finding leftover pizza is easier than going into the woods,” Tira said Sunday.

Residents have called police more than 100 times since July about Hank as he continues to run amok in the California town. Now authorities are trying to capture Hank and possibly euthanize him. “He’s a bear that’s not afraid of people anymore,” Tira told The New York Times. “It’s a potentially dangerous situation.”

“Exceptionally large”

Hank, as the bear is called by local residents, uses his size and strength to punch through garages, windows, and doors. Weighing around 226 kilograms, Hank is “exceptionally tall”, authorities said. The average black bear in the western United States weighs about 45 to 136 pounds, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

But Hank’s diet of food and human waste increased his size, said Ann Bryant, director of the Bear League, a California wildlife rescue service: “He didn’t get fat by eating berries and grubs. “, she told the New York. Times, adding that it was unclear how Hank developed his fondness for human food.

Hank did not fall into a trap set for him this month, so authorities are considering a new approach, with euthanasia as a “last option”, Tira said. If the bear was moved to another area, the problem would just shift, he said. All the other shelters are also too full.

‘Kind and gentle’

While the neighbors don’t want Hank destroying their homes, they want him to be treated with respect, said Bryant, a local resident. Authorities cleared a bear trap in the area after someone sprayed “Bear Killer” on it.

Residents are quick to point out that Hank is sweet and kind. When he breaks into a house, he’s much more interested in the food than the people inside, Bryant said.

“He just sits there and eats,” she said. “He doesn’t attack them. He doesn’t growl. He doesn’t make faces.” According to local authorities, the bear has not yet harmed people. “Why should this fat model die?” says Bryant.