The stealing bear escapes the death penalty as “new evidence” proves innocence for breaks (photos)

In the unusual case, the more than 200-pound bear was believed to be solely responsible for more than 40 broken-in entrances to rural U.S. homes.

Police in California had received more than 150 phone calls from locals reporting the big black bear forcibly taking food to people’s homes.

He was accused of chaos in people’s homes and officials had launched a search for him to kill him.

But DNA samples have linked at least two other bears to “crime scenes” in the Lake Tahoe community, overturning the death sentence of the large animal.

Peter Tira, of the California Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, said: “No gold will be neutralized, injured, displaced or placed in a zoo.”

He warned that instead of tough measures, they would put trackers on the bear for data collection and release them back into the wild.

Hank the Bear was on the front pages of the news this week when he was believed to be the perpetrator of the destruction.

The area has about 20,000 residents and is a major tourist attraction.

Mr. Tira said that the bear is not afraid of people yesterday befriends those who give him food.

Officials said the bear was identified by the dark plush, large mass and by the fact that it did not hibernate.

But in a statement they added: “Identifying bears only by their physical characteristics can cause mistakes.”

DNA analysis showed that the fractures believed to have been caused by Hank were committed by a female bear not known to the agency, and that at least one other bear, also female, was involved in the incidents.

The agency has urged residents to carefully dispose of their litter so as not to attract bears.

“Hanku, Tanku” was blamed for a series of burglaries in a rural area in the US