A fugitive 400-pound female bear identified by California wildlife officials as 64F and known to the public as “Hank the Tank” — linked to 21 home break-ins and property damage south of Lake Tahoe — has been cleared for relocation across state lines and on Tuesday was en route to a refuge in eastern Colorado.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials approved this rare transfer in response to a request from the private, nonprofit Wild Animal Sanctuary.
“We already have over 250 bears. So we are ready to take care of bears,” sanctuary director Pat Craig said. “We are thrilled we can help. But we would rather see animals stay in the wild if they can.”
Bear 64F’s three cubs born earlier this year, who accompanied their mother on recent break-ins, have been sent to a rescue facility near Petaluma, California, “in hopes they can discontinue the negative behaviors they learned from the sow,” California Department of Fish and Wildlife spokeswoman Jordan Traverso said.
Bigger than average, 64F had produced three male cubs two years in a row. But her “rap sheet” was exceptional. State wildlife authorities targeted her as “a garbage bear,” Traverso said. “She’s been eating, like, Cheetos, Cheeto wrappers, diapers, Doritos and cake — whatever she can find in a garbage can. Not ideal.”
Bears who repeatedly bother humans in California and other states typically aren’t relocated, officials said. Hundreds are euthanized around the country each year.
“However, given the widespread interest in this bear and the significant risk of a serious incident,” California officials embarked on this alternative “to safeguard the bear family as well as the people in the South Lake Tahoe community.”
CPW rules allow only one relocation like this each year.
Bear 64F traveled by truck in an air-conditioned trailer to the Wild Animal Sanctuary’s 10,000-acre refuge near Springfield in southeastern Colorado. The bear had cleared medical examinations and has received the required permits issued by the Colorado Department of Agriculture, CPW officials said in a news release.
California wildlife biologists tranquilized and captured 64F on Friday. They blamed it for “at least 21 DNA-confirmed home break-ins” since February 2022. State biologists also captured the cubs, one of them injured from a vehicle collision on July 21.
Wildlife officials’ pursuit began back in March, when they discovered 64F denning with the cubs under a house near Lake Tahoe.
“She had lost her healthy fear of humans,” Traverso said.
California and Nevada agency staffers then immobilized the bear, affixed a satellite tracking collar, and also implanted transponders in the cubs. They relocated 64F more than 50 miles away.
But the bear returned to the area south of Lake Tahoe. And, in May, 64F ditched the tracking collar.
California residents over the past 18 months made hundreds of calls reporting trouble with a very large bear and dubbed it “Hank the Tank” — blamed for at least 40 break-ins and other damage — and they assumed Hank was one male bear.
“They were taking pictures, saying, ‘That’s the bear! It is back! It is over by my car!’ ” Traverso said.
Whenever wildlife officers reached the scene of a break-in, no bear was there. “It is hard to catch them in the act.”
California officials now believe, based on DNA sleuthing, that 64F is one of three bears responsible for the break-ins attributed to Hank the Tank.
“The other two, we don’t know where they are,” Traverso said.
In Colorado, Craig followed the escapades with interest.
“Bears’ lives are consumed by the pursuit of food, whether they are captive or in the wild. Obviously, she was trying to find food,” he said. “Bears get into trouble when people move into their territory.”
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis has publicly welcomed 64F, suggesting a name change from Hank to Henrietta.
