Where there are humans, there is food… delicious calorie rich food. And so much of it, well, it can keep a bear from hibernating! We’ve told you about wildlife and anthropogenic food before (check out: Raccoon Eats Your Bird Food, Juggling a Junk Food Diet, Eggroll Squirrel, and of course – Pizza Rat), and taking advantage of anthropogenic food resources might even lead to evolutionary changes.
Our urban observation this week takes the gold medal for capitalizing on human foods: Hank the Tank, a 500 lb bear in California, USA, became notorious this month for repeatedly breaking into houses to feast. After much media attention, DNA evidence exonerated Hank the Tank: it turned out that Hank the Tank is merely the ringleader and several bears in South Lake Tahoe are skipping hibernation this year to break into houses and feast!
Do you have a photo or video of an urban species doing something unusual? What about a rare plant or animal that you were surprised to find in a city? If so, let Lindsay know or Tweet at us and you could be featured as a future observation of the week!
Featured image: Hank the Tank, by BEAR League
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