Hank the Tank (also known as Henrietta [1] ) is a five-hundred-pound female American black bear that gained attention for repeated interactions with humans in the Lake Tahoe area, resulting in her eventual capture and relocation to Colorado. [2] Known by wildlife officials as Bear 64F, Hank became a symbol of human-wildlife conflict and sparked broader discussions about bear management in populated areas.
Hank, a bear local to the Tahoe Keys region of California, had been observed to frequent urban areas in 2021. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) observed that Hank exhibited behavior not considered normal for those in the wild with the primary example of showing a decreased fear of humans. This abnormal behavior was explained by a continuous access to food sources provided by humans, such as but not limited to open or unsecured garbage, which drew her to residential areas while searching for food. [3]
The Lake Tahoe region has had a significant increase in the population of bears in recent years. According to the Tahoe Interagency Bear Team (TIBT), bears have been increasing their presence in the area due to overpopulation, competition for resources, and unsecured trash and bird feeders within residential zones. In the early 2000s the black bear population in Lake Tahoe was estimated to be approximately 120 bears for every 100 square kilometers, the second-highest density recorded in the US. [4]
A result of bears having access to human food often is that they do not hibernate during winter, as is observed in around twenty percent of bears in the Lake Tahoe area. [5] Research has shown that Wildland–urban interface s are critical areas for human-bear interactions and potential conflicts. [6]
Between the years 2021 and early 2022, Hank has been associated with a series of break ins and property damage amounting to around 20 cases in the Tahoe Keys neighborhood. The media started to cover her activities as concerns about safety grew among residents. At one point, it was suspected that Hank's cases rose to as many as thirty homes. However, DNA profiling revealed that multiple bears including Hank were involved in the break-ins. [7] [8]
In 2022, there were a total of 902 conflict calls, 235 home invasions, and 31 permits issued on the Tahoe Basin within the borders of California. The following year, 2023, saw 660 conflict calls, 217 home invasions, and 38 permits issued. [9] This data indicates a significant level of human-bear interaction in the region.
Due to the high-profile nature of the incidents, the CDFW initially considered euthanizing Hank as a last-resort measure to address public safety concerns. However, DNA evidence indicating that multiple bears were involved prompted the agency to implement a program of tagging and monitoring bears in the region instead. No bears would be killed under this initiative, which relied on DNA sampling to track and identify individual animals associated with break-ins. [10] On August 7, 2023, after over a year of tracking, CDFW officials successfully captured Hank and her three cubs. Hank was transported to The Wild Animal Sanctuary near Springfield, Colorado, [11] while her cubs were placed in Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue to undergo rehabilitation. The aim was to "retrain" the cubs to rely on natural food sources and avoid human environments. [12]
Hank's association with repeated incidents and a discussion around the possibility of euthanizing Hank generated significant public and media interest. Three wildlife sanctuaries offered to rehome Hank and saw support from the BEAR League, a local bear advocacy organization, who pledged to cover all expenses related to her relocation. Ann Bryant, executive director of the BEAR League, made comments highlighting a strong local opposition to euthanization as a solution. She underlined how Lake Tahoe residents adapted to coexisting with local wildlife and gave names to bears as a form of established community identity. [5]
Hank was presented as a "conflict bear" in the Media due to her reliance on human food sources and frequent encounters with Tahoe locals. Her notoriety contributed to broader discussions about human-wildlife interactions, specifically giving rise to debates regarding how best to manage bear populations in urban and semi-urban areas.
Hank's case brought the root cause of the human–wildlife conflict seen especially in regions like Lake Tahoe where wildlife and urban communities coexist. In recent years, bears have been becoming relatively more "habituated" to human presence, often due to unsecured garbage and intentional or accidental feeding. This habituation in time breaks their natural fear of people and can lead to increased incidents of property damage and public safety risks.
CDFW describes "conflict bears" as those that have grown accustomed to humans and having a tendency to approach them, very often requiring intervention through relocation or euthanasia. Experts have emphasized that public education on securing food sources and bear-proofing properties is crucial to reducing conflicts and protecting both humans, bear populations, and the natural dynamic of human-bear interaction. [13] Conservationists have been arguing that the case of Hank and her cubs is a call for more effective waste management systems and awareness campaigns in areas with many bears. Authorities hope to reduce human-bear conflicts and allow bears to retain their natural avoidance of humans by promoting responsible practices such as using bear boxes and kodiak cans. [14]
The brown bear is a large bear native to Eurasia and North America. Of the carnivorans, it is rivaled in size only by its closest relative, the polar bear, which is much less variable in size and slightly bigger on average. The brown bear is a sexually dimorphic species, as adult males are larger and more compactly built than females. The fur ranges in color from cream to reddish to dark brown. It has evolved large hump muscles, unique among bears, and paws up to 21 cm (8.3 in) wide and 36 cm (14 in) long, to effectively dig through dirt. Its teeth are similar to those of other bears and reflect its dietary plasticity.
The American black bear, also known as the black bear, is a species of medium-sized bear endemic to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most widely distributed bear species. It is an omnivore, with a diet varying greatly depending on season and location. It typically lives in largely forested areas but will leave forests in search of food and is sometimes attracted to human communities due to the immediate availability of food.
The cougar, also known as the panther, mountain lion, catamount and puma, is a large cat native to the Americas. It inhabits North, Central and South America, making it the most widely distributed wild, terrestrial mammal in the Western Hemisphere, and one of the most widespread in the world. Its range spans the Yukon, British Columbia and Alberta provinces of Canada, the Rocky Mountains and areas in the western United States. Further south, its range extends through Mexico to the Amazon Rainforest and the southern Andes Mountains in Patagonia. It is an adaptable generalist species, occurring in most American habitat types. It prefers habitats with dense underbrush and rocky areas for stalking but also lives in open areas.
Leave No Trace, sometimes written as LNT, is a set of ethics promoting conservation of the outdoors. Originating in the mid-20th century, the concept started as a movement in the United States in response to ecological damage caused by wilderness recreation. In 1994, the non-profit Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics was formed to create educational resources around LNT, and organized the framework of LNT into seven principles.
The Kodiak bear, also known as the Kodiak brown bear, sometimes the Alaskan brown bear, inhabits the islands of the Kodiak Archipelago in southwest Alaska. It is one of the largest recognized subspecies or population of the brown bear, and one of the two largest bears alive today, the other being the polar bear. They are also considered by some to be a population of grizzly bears.
The North American cougar is a cougar subspecies in North America. It is the biggest cat in North America. It was once common in eastern North America and is still prevalent in the western half of the continent. This subspecies includes populations in western Canada, the western United States, Florida, Mexico and Central America, and possibly South America northwest of the Andes Mountains. It thus includes the extirpated eastern cougar and extant Florida panther populations.
The Riverside Discovery Center, formerly named the Riverside Park and Zoo, is a park and zoo complex along the North Platte River in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, United States.
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The Marsican brown bear, also known as the Apennine brown bear, and orso bruno marsicano in Italian, is a critically endangered population of the Eurasian brown bear, with a range restricted to the Parco Nazionale d'Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise, and the surrounding region in Italy. The Marsican brown bear differs slightly from other brown bears in its appearance and hibernation techniques. The bear's popular name is derived from Marsica, a historic area of the modern-day region of Abruzzo where the bear has long had a significant presence.
A man-eating animal or man-eater is an individual animal or being that preys on humans as a pattern of hunting behavior. This does not include the scavenging of corpses, a single attack born of opportunity or desperate hunger, or the incidental eating of a human that the animal has killed in self-defense. However, all three cases may habituate an animal to eating human flesh or to attacking humans, and may foster the development of man-eating behavior.
Urban wildlife is wildlife that can live or thrive in urban/suburban environments or around densely populated human settlements such as towns.
Human–wildlife conflict (HWC) refers to the negative interactions between humans and wild animals, with undesirable consequences both for people and their resources on the one hand, and wildlife and their habitats on the other. HWC, caused by competition for natural resources between human and wildlife, influences human food security and the well-being of both humans and other animals. In many regions, the number of these conflicts has increased in recent decades as a result of human population growth and the transformation of land use.
A bear attack is an attack by a bear on another animal, although it usually refers to a bear attacking a human or domestic pet. Bear attacks are of particular concern for those who are in bear habitats. They can be fatal and often hikers, campers, fishers, and others in bear country take precautions against bear attacks.
The British Columbia Conservation Officer Service (BCCOS) is responsible for protecting the environment and natural resources in British Columbia. Conservation officers are peace officers, armed, and enforce 6 federal statutes and 25 provincial statutes, including the Species at Risk Act, Liquor Control and Licensing Act, Wildlife Act and Environmental Management Act.
The grizzly bear, also known as the North American brown bear or simply grizzly, is a population or subspecies of the brown bear inhabiting North America.
A tame animal is an animal that is relatively tolerant of human presence. Tameness may arise naturally or due to the deliberate, human-directed process of training an animal against its initially wild or natural instincts to avoid or attack humans. The tameability of an animal is the level of ease it takes humans to train the animal, and varies among individual animals, breeds, or species.
Bears and Man is a 1978 Canadian educational film by Bill Schmalz. It was produced by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) and Parks Canada. The film documents human-bear interactions in Canada's National Parks. It was narrated by Chief Dan George and Patricia Best, and was co-written and edited by Adbusters founder Kalle Lasn.
Grizzly 399 was a grizzly bear living in Grand Teton National Park and Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming, United States. She was followed by as many as 40 wildlife photographers, and millions of tourists came to the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem to see her and other grizzly bears. There are official Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts for Grizzly 399.
Silver Lake is a reservoir in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California.
The Fortress of the Bear is a non-profit bear refuge and education center in Sitka, Alaska. It was established in 2003 by Les and Evy Kinnear at the Gary Paxton Industrial Park, which previously housed the Sitka Pulp Mill.