Police say they're being "inundated" with calls about 500-pound bear known as "Hank the Tank"

Police in South Lake Tahoe say they have been "inundated" with phone calls about "Hank the Tank" — a 500-pound black bear that has broken into dozens of homes in the area. So on Wednesday, the police department had a message for concerned callers: "Please stop calling SLTPD to give your opinions about Hank."

In a Facebook post titled "Hank The Tank: PSA," the police department implored people to stop contacting them about the bear.

"Our dispatchers are being inundated with these calls about Hank," police said. "It's affecting their ability to give their full attention to emergency calls. "