500-Pound Bear Nicknamed 'Hank the Tank' Breaks Into Nearly 40 Homes in California

A stock photo of a black bear.Photo: Getty

A 500-pound bear known as Hank the Tank has made himself at home in a California community, much to the chagrin of local residents.

Hank — who earned his name from South Lake Tahoe residents — has broken into dozens of homes in the area in recent months,The New York Timesreported. He has been eating human food and garbage and breaking into homes through garages, windows and doors, according to the newspaper.

“It’s easier to find leftover pizza than to go in the forest,” Tira said, per theTimes.

Local residents are now debating whether or not the bear should be euthanized.

“I’ve been in town 40 years and I’ve been locking my doors recently and I’ve never done that,” he told the news station.

Marchetti Phillip added, “This has been happening for a very long time and eventually something very, very bad is going to happen.”

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While authorities work to capture Hank, they are also considering euthanizing the bear, theTimesreported.

Tira, the Department of Fish and Wildlife spokesperson, said euthanizing Hank is the department’s “last option,” adding, “This is a bear that has lost all fear of people. It’s a potentially dangerous situation.

source: people.com