Jared Polis

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By Bernd Debusmann JrBBC News, Washington

A massive and notoriously mischievous Black Bear has been captured after More Than a year on The Run following a string of break-ins in California.

The 500lbs (227kg) bear, known to fans as Hank the Tank, is believed to have broken into 21 homes in the Lake Tahoe area since 2022.

Hank - who is actually a female bear registered as 64F - will be moved to a sanctuary in Colorado.

Her three cubs may be transferred to a facility in California's Sonoma County .

In a statement released on Friday, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) said that biologists had " safely immobilised" The Bear , who had been linked to 21 break-ins by DNA evidence.

Pending a successful health check, Hank will be taken to The Wild Animal Sanctuary near Springfield, Colorado.

While California authorities have noted that relocation is " not typically an option" Hank 's fame has given her a reprieve.

" Given the widespread interest in this bear, and the significant risk of a serious incident involving The Bear , CDFW is employing an alternative solution to safeguard The Bear family as well as The People in The South Lake Tahoe community, " The Statement said.

Hank 's three cubs will be taken to a different facility in Petaluma, California " in hopes they can discontinue the negative behaviours they learned from the sow and can be returned to The Wild ".

On the X Social Media platform, formerly known as Twitter, Colorado Governor Jared Polis welcomed Hank - and joked that she should have been named " Henrietta the Tank".

Hank was originally believed to have been responsible for over 40 break-ins, but DNA samples proved that the break-ins were also The Work of at least two other large bears with a voracious appetite for human food.

The Discovery that Hank was not alone in the Crime Spree prompted California officials to reassure The Public that " no bears will be be euthanised, harmed, relocated to some facility or placed in a zoo".

Biologists believe that Hank , who is considerably larger than most black bears, had grown unafraid of humans and had learned to use her strength to force her way into people's homes.

" When you have a bear forcibly crashing its way through a garage door or ripping open a front door with people inside, that's pretty brazen and unusual, " CDFW spokesperson Peter Tira told The Bbc in February 2022.

The whereabouts and potential fate of The Other two bears involved in The Spree of California break-ins is unclear.

The Bbc has reached out to CDFW for comment.

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Source of news: bbc.com