LOS ANGELES, 5 Aug. (DPA/EP) –
After allegedly breaking into nearly two dozen homes, wildlife biologists have captured a black bear and her three male cubs in South Lake Tahoe in the US state of California, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The bear, whose DNA authorities say was found in 21 homes over the past year, is one of several residents who have been referred to as “Hank the Tank.” “During the latest burglaries of her home, her cubs accompanied her and together, the bear family has been suspected of further burglaries and additional property damage,” the state agency said on Friday.
“Relocation is not typically an option for animals in conflict due to concerns that relocating an animal will relocate conflict behavior to a different community,” the agency said in a press release, adding that “however Given the widespread interest in this bear and the significant risk of a serious incident involving the bear, CDFW is employing an alternative solution to safeguard the bear family as well as individuals in the South Lake Tahoe community.”
Now, the four members of the family are heading their separate ways. After veterinary checks, the mother bear will be sent to a wildlife sanctuary in Colorado, while the cubs will go to a rehabilitation center in Sonoma County.
In Sonoma, the hope is that the three cubs will learn to lose their stealing habits and eventually be fit to return to the wild.
The state agency has been monitoring the mother bear, which they call 64F, since 2022. In March 2023, she and her cubs were discovered hibernating beneath a South Lake Tahoe residence, and after authorities restrained the cubs bears, collected DNA evidence and attached tracking devices to the mother’s ear and neck. They also implanted each bear cub with a microchip, similar to those used to identify domestic dogs and cats.
Although the mother bear soon lost her tracking collar, her DNA placed her at the scene of home invasions later that year.
One of the puppies is believed to have been injured in a car crash earlier this month, according to authorities, though it is still able to move. He, along with all the bears, will be thoroughly examined in the coming days.
