Infringing on the territory of 500-pound black bear ‘Hank the Tank,’ a mother grizzly was spotted opening the doors of an unsecured car while foraging for snacks with her two bear cubs in a residential area of Lake Tahoe.
A grizzly bear was recorded by a Ring doorbell of a Lake Tahoe resident in May opening up a black Chevrolet Suburban as her pups stayed in the heavy snow, according to CCTV footage acquired.
The bear then climbs into the driver’s seat of the SUV and burrows its nose into the dashboard, sniffing for something tasty.
The video was cut short before the bear was able to get food, so we don’t know if he was successful.
The clip was taken on May 10, just nine days after the brown-coat mammal and her cubs made their first appearance on camera.
The mother bear encounters the same car after wandering in the region with her younglings in the family’s first appearance on tape.
The grizzly then stands up and opens the door with her right front paw, this time on the passenger side, just like a normal person would.
The adult mammal then sniffs around the front area of the SUV before sliding back down and checking on her cubs.
The bear returns to the car and discovers what appears to be a black takeout box full of food, which she drops to the pavement of the parking area.
The two cubs turn their heads around towards the end of the video after the black item catches their attention.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife discovered in February that the 500lb black bear nicknamed Hank the Tank is actually at least three large bears who had destroyed more than 30 properties around Lake Tahoe in recent months, based on DNA evidence.
Hank, who weighs 500 pounds, was recorded on security camera strolling around Lake Tahoe residences looking for a meal that would satisfy his hunger.
Since July 2021, the bear has been spotted in the neighborhood more than 100 times, and nothing – not even loud noises, paintballs, or Tasers – has been able to scare him away.
Locals have characterized the animal as ‘nice,’ saying he simply eats and departs without bothering anybody. Locals, however, have allegedly made Hank too bold by leaving out unsecured food leftovers for him to eat, according to wildlife officials.
They’ve been worried since that the bear, which is up to five times the size of a typical member of his kind, could harm someone if they come too close.
‘He doesn’t go after people.’ He doesn’t snarl or growl. According to TMZ, a local resident protested in February that he “doesn’t make unpleasant faces.”
However, not everyone appreciates a 500-pound teddy bear wandering the streets.
‘This is a bear who has lost all fear of people,’ Peter Tira, a spokesperson for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, told The New York Times. ‘This might be a dangerous situation.’
Local officials were apparently last attempting to capture the animal and transport him to a sanctuary, but conservationists are concerned that if Hank does have a hostile contact with a human, he would be slaughtered before being sent to a safe location.
Wildlife officials have set up traps in an attempt to stop Hank’s rampage, but they have been unable to stop him.
‘The trapping exercise is a last-ditch effort to catch and euthanize a specific and what we refer to as an extremely habituated or human-food conditioned black bear,’ Tira explained.
Residents were outraged by the bear hunt, and there were even attempts to scare the bear away by playing loud music or spray painting the term ‘Bear Killer’ on the trap, despite Hank’s inability to read.
The BEAR League, a pro-bear activism group, has been working with wildlife officials to find Hank a new home.
‘The BEAR League contacted the director of an excellent out-of-state wildlife sanctuary, who confirmed that he had space and would be very pleased to offer this bear a permanent home,’ said executive director Ann Bryant.
‘On Tuesday morning, we notified [the California Department of Fish and Wildlife], requesting that this alternative be carefully explored instead of murdering the bear.’
Residents in the resort town of Lake Tahoe have made more than 150 calls to law enforcement and wildlife employees in the area as a result of the bear, according to California wildlife officials.
‘At least 38 separate properties have been damaged by this one specific bear,’ Tira told KCRA 3 in Sacramento on February 17.
The curvaceous cub has also caused ‘severe property damage and forced entry into multiple homes – including occupied homes,’ according to authorities.
Hank is drawn back not only by his voracious appetite, but also by the ease with which he can access trash that has been improperly secured.
Bryant emphasizes that sanctuaries are not a permanent solution and that residents of Tahoe should practice prevention.
‘Both homeowners and visitors must play a role in keeping bears out of trouble so that they can live wild and free,’ she said.
‘The various reasons that bears get into trouble are because people do this and teach the bears that this is a good way to make a living,’ says the author.
Hibernation in grizzlies is more of a reaction to a lack of food, colder temperatures, and snow on the ground.
It can last anywhere from a few weeks in the Northeast and West Coast of North America to six months in Alaska for bears.
Experts also advise against arousing a sleeping bear. When a bear detects danger, it quickly awakens.
According to the USDA Forest Service, California has between 25,000 and 35,000 black bears. The state of Oregon, also known as ‘Black Bear Country,’ has a population of 25,000 to 30,000 people.
Bear attacks are ‘uncommon,’ according to the Parks Department, and the animals typically ‘avoid human contact,’ but the public is reminded that it is ‘never safe to approach a bear.’