"It's not easy for a 500-pound bear to sneak around a neighborhood — and it sounds impossible for one to break into a house through a small window. But the animal known as Hank the Tank is no ordinary bear: California's wildlife agency says he has broken into at least 28 homes in South Lake Tahoe, adding that he's responsible for "152 reports of conflict behavior."

Hank is a "severely food-habituated bear," the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said, adding that the term "means that the animal has lost its fear of people and is associating people with access to food."

The bear "has used its immense size and strength to break in and through front doors and garage doors" over roughly the past seven months, the agency said."

Bill Chappell reports for NPR February 21, 2022. [2]