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DNA Evidence Saves Tahoe Bear Blamed For Damaging Over 30 Homes From Death And Relocation

Not the bear mentioned in the story (Photo by ARMEND NIMANI/AFP via Getty Images)

Melanie Wilcox Contributor
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A massive bear blamed for damaging over 30 South Lake Tahoe homes and prompting some 150 phone calls to authorities will not be killed or moved to a sanctuary due to DNA evidence, The Sacramento Bee reported Thursday.

California Department of Fish and Wildlife officials will not kill or relocate the 500-pound bear dubbed “Hank the Tank” because DNA samples showed at least two other black bears had trespassed into some of the Tahoe properties, The Sacramento Bee reported. Hank the Tank has a light brown muzzle and black bulbous body. (RELATED: Bear Caught Stealing Package From Porch)

“During this effort, CDFW will gather information and learn from scientific analysis to help inform and refine our bear management in the Lake Tahoe Basin,” the wildlife agency said in a Thursday statement. “CDFW is not going to euthanize any bears that are trapped during this effort.”

CDFW officials will instead launch a “trap, tag, haze” effort in which after bears are captured, they are marked with an ear tag and released using horns and paintball guns, The Los Angeles Times reported.

California law enables state officials to euthanize a bear that causes problems to homeowners if evidence shows it is a repeat offender. The law also allows homeowners who have property damaged by a bear to request a bear trap permit from the government, Jordan Traverso, a spokeswoman for the Department of Fish and Wildlife, told The Sacramento Bee.

Earlier in February, state wildlife officials had said killing the bear was the only option. Tahoe’s Bear League, an organization whose stated goal is “helping bears and people live peacefully in this world together,” expressed opposition to that at the time.

“Hank no longer has a death sentence hanging over him and he is no longer going to have his freedom taken away from him by sending him to a sanctuary,” the Bear League said in a Facebook post Thursday. “We fully support this decision and are grateful for the investigation into the truth that was taken seriously by the experts within our CA DFW.”