'Hank The Tank' Now Believed To Be Three Separate Bears

It's been nearly a week since the wider world learned of Hank The Tank, a 500-pound black bear that was supposedly terrorizing Lake Tahoe citizens in California with his wanton gluttony, breaking through doors and eating their trash. As it turns out, Hank is just the figurehead of a larger operation.

Yesterday, officials with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced that DNA evidence exonerated Hank from some of his alleged crimes. They now believe there are at least two other bears participating in the bear crime wave of California. While the revelation that Hank was merely part of a grander larceny scheme is a hilarious new wrinkle to the viral story, it also means that Hank and his "friends" could see a softer punishment for their crimes.

When it was believed that the three-dozen burglaries were the sole work of Hank, officials were forced to consider either execution or life in "prison" (a bear sanctuary) for the thicc bear. Now they're focused on a "trap, tag and haze" effort to prevent all three bears from breaking into further California homes.

"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 California Fish and Wildlife Department wrote in a statement. "CDFW is not going to euthanize any bears that are trapped during this effort."

This doesn't mean Hank and co. are clear yet. According to The Sacramento Bee, California law states that a California resident whose home is ransacked by a bear can request to have bear traps placed on their property. If the bear is caught, the law states that the bear is then euthanized if DNA evidence shows it is responsible for the crimes.

Currently, it appears to be a race to see who can control the bear thieves first. If the CDFW is able to track down the larcenous bears, they will begin mitigation efforts to stop the bears from robbing humans. But if the bears wander into a trap, things might get grisly.

Meanwhile, wildlife activists in California have rallied around Hank's cause. They have bombarded the South Lake Tahoe Police Department with pleas to spare Hank, to the point the Department put out a request to stop the calls. Furthermore, a group of activists called "The BEAR League" have stated they are working "frantically" to make sure Hank's life is spared.