Animal rescuer drops plans for Bob the Goat memorial in El Paso after backlash

An animal rescue advocate in El Paso said she would no longer be involved with a memorial project for Bob the Goat after receiving criticism on social media. Despite public calls for a monument to memorialize the goat, representatives for state agencies said they are not involved with any project as of Friday.

Bob was an elderly domestic goat that lived in the Franklin Mountains until its death Aug. 13, when a Texas Parks and Wildlife employee tried to capture it for relocation. The goat was a beloved celebrity that locals would spot from Woodrow Bean Transmountain Drive, but posed a risk to the state’s plan to restore desert bighorn sheep. The sheep are native to the Franklin Mountains and vulnerable to disease carried by other sheep and goats.

Karen Washington, president of nonprofit animal rescue group Pawsitive Rescuer, announced Tuesday on Facebook the goat’s horns “have been cleaned and returned.” The post included a since-removed photo of Bob the Goat’s skull with curling horns mounted on a plaque. Washington arranged the mounting at NB Taxidermy in Sunland Park, New Mexico, according to the post.

A Texas Parks and Wildlife spokesperson confirmed staff provided her the skull.

Washington wrote she was considering a memorial for Bob the Goat on the side of Woodrow Bean Transmountain Drive with the help of a local artist and the Texas Department of Transportation. She later posted a GoFundMe fundraiser and popular Instagram account @therealfitfamelpaso shared her efforts.

But two days later, Washington canceled the fundraiser and abandoned plans for a memorial or tribute to Bob the Goat. There are no plans to pass the project on to someone else, she told El Paso Matters via text Thursday.

As of Friday afternoon, the FitFam post amassed nearly 19,000 likes, more than 450 comments and more than 850 shares. Many online commenters expressed support for a memorial, but also criticized or questioned how the goat’s remains were and would be handled.

“The public has made this about ‘taxidermy’ and not about a memorial,” Washington wrote in a text message. “As far as I’m aware, no one else has any plans to spearhead something like this.”

What happened to Bob the Goat’s remains?

In September, El Paso Matters confirmed Bob the Goat’s death, which occurred when a Texas Parks and Wildlife employee tried to relocate it ahead of the desert bighorn sheep release.

Bob the Goat died in August, likely from the stress of capture, while tethered to a tree by its horns and a makeshift rope halter, according to a necropsy report obtained by El Paso Matters. The report also cited the goat’s old age as a contributing factor.

“We recognize that the results were undesirable, but also understand that unintended deaths are a possibility when working with animals, even when staff are properly trained and precautionary measures taken,” said Froylán Hernández, desert bighorn sheep program leader at Texas Parks and Wildlife.