Internet Rallies Around Massive Taser-Proof Black Bear Named ‘Hank’ That Faces Grim Fate For Terrorizing A California Town

• The internet has come together to support a 500-pound black bear named “Hank,” who faces possible euthanization for repeatedly breaking into homes in a town in California
• Authorities have used tasers and paintballs in their unsuccessful attempts to deter the bear from returning
• Read more weird news here

It’s been close to six years since the world united to mourn the loss of Harambe, the sweet prince who was shot and killed in a last-ditch effort to protect a three-year-old who was grabbed by the gorilla after wandering into his enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo.

Harambe amassed a legion of loyal defenders who continue to maintain he did nothing wrong a little over a year after social media was flooded with tributes to Cecil the Lion, another majestic creature who was infamously slain by an American dentist who lured him from the nature preserve he called home during a big-game hunting excursion in Africa.

Now, the internet has found a new folk hero in the form of Hank, a 500-pound black bear who is facing a similarly grim fate thanks to a pattern of behavior that has terrorized residents in a town in California.

The absolute unit initially made waves earlier this month after KNRV reported he was facing a possible death sentence in connection to a crime spree that’s targeted the gated community in South Lake Tahoe where he’s broken into more than two dozen homes in search of food since last summer.

Authorities say they’ve deployed “paintballs, bean bags, sirens, and Tasers” in an attempt to deter Hank from returning but have not had any success. Officials are hoping to find a sanctuary he can be transferred to, but have warned the “exceptionally large” black bear could be euthanized as a “last resort” if they’re unable to find a way to stop the raids from continuing.

On Sunday, The New York Times reported on the plight of the bear that’s earned the nickname “Hank the Tank,” and it hasn’t taken long for the #SaveHankTheTank movement to gain traction after the good people of the internet rallied around him.

https://twitter.com/helen_of_boyd/status/1495269260205166599

Here’s to hoping this story has a happy ending.