I felt a terrible sinking feeling in my stomach as I approached the cage, praying it wasn't Goober but fearing the worst. Goober greeted me with a grunt and began licking the steel grate that covered the front of the large opening. The cage shifted ever so slightly as he sought for an escape. I stood there in the dark, confused. I did not know how to open the cage and release him and did not know the consequences if I did.
Many states relocate their bears.
Surely a state that emblazons the bear image on their state flag wouldn't destroy a bear without making an effort to save him. I spoke with the man who came to get Goober that night. He explained that he was taking him away to shoot him. He hung a piece of burlap over the cage door and hooked the cage to the back of his truck. Although I wanted to plead with him for a reprieve or argue with him that it was unnecessary, I knew it was useless.