Calls about 500-pound Hank the Tank overwhelm South Lake Tahoe police: ‘Please stop calling’
The South Lake Tahoe Police Department is asking residents to stop bogging down its dispatchers with calls about “Hank the Tank,” the 500-pound black bear that grabbed national headlines last week.
“Please stop calling SLTPD to give your opinions about Hank,” the department said in a social media post. “Our dispatchers are being inundated with these calls about Hank. It’s affecting their ability to give their full attention to emergency calls.”
The department said it has received calls from across the globe regarding Hank’s fate after he was spotted breaking into another Lake Tahoe home.
According to photos and security footage, the bear broke into a house on Catalina Drive in the Tahoe Keys neighborhood of South Lake Tahoe Friday morning.
Officers responded to the home and banged on an exterior door until the bear “popped” out a back door, the department said. Officers remained in the area to make sure the bear did damage any other homes.
The department shared the incident in a social media post to spread awareness about how police handle bear calls, it said. But it has now become overwhelmed with calls.
“I can’t stress this enough: The SLTPD does not have a say in where Hank lands,” the department said. “Our local wildlife agencies are working together to find the best option for Hank. No one wants to see him euthanized. They are searching for an option that will be good for Hank’s mental/physical health, and the safety of our local residents.”
Hank the Tank is credited with damaging over 30 homes in South Lake Tahoe, primarily in the Tahoe Keys neighborhood where bears have sought out food in garbage cans and unsecured garages.
As a result, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife has made attempts to catch him to potentially euthanize him, a move that local bear activists vehemently oppose.
This story was originally published February 23, 2022 at 2:38 PM with the headline "Calls about 500-pound Hank the Tank overwhelm South Lake Tahoe police: ‘Please stop calling’."