Reporters learned just enough to become frenzied. Headlines screamed Escaped Circus Bear Saves Child. The hospital parking lot filled with cameras. Security redirected traffic, taping off the ambulance bay entirely. “We’ll move the animal tonight,” Parker decided. “Before someone decides to livestream hero worship through the fence.”
A reinforced wildlife trailer rolled in at dusk. Workers laid straw, fitted the GPS receiver, and lined the door with chain mesh. The bear watched the process through the fencing, calm but wary. “Tranquilizer’s prepped but unused,” Parker said. “We’ll coax him in with the same fish he ignored yesterday.”