The cubs of the controversial Lake Tahoe bear, formerly known as “Henk de Tankwere released in the eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains after being sent to a drug rehabilitation center in Sonoma County, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Hank, who now goes by Henrietta, was associated with many burglaries in the Tahoe area over several years. She was eventually captured and taken to prison in August 2023 Wildlife sanctuary in Colorado.
“Fish and Game said when they caught her she was skin and bones, they could feel her ribs and spine, so she was pretty desperate,” said Pat Craig, director of the sanctuary.
Henrietta will spend the rest of her time at the shelter, but her cubs were taken to a rehabilitation center in Sonoma County.
The three cubs, along with another bear abandoned by its mother in the Tahoe area, went to the rehab center to break the habits their mother had taught them.
By the time they were released, they became wary of people and were ready to go back into the wild.
When they were released, officials used non-toxic paintballs and air horns and shouted to make the bears more urgent, making them feel uncomfortable and react to people.
Now officials are tracking their locations thanks to collars on the bears. Those collars are programmed to fall off after nine months in the wild, when officials collect them and reuse them.
The bears will then become more suited to the wild, rather than the residential areas of Lake Tahoe.
