C.O. suspended for refusing to kill bear cubs

[trimmer21]

The bad thing is that the mother had likely already taught the cubs where to find food,so,the damage was already done. People without animal rights sensitivities should never be farmers or CO's. Probably if you get right to the root of the suspension,the CO refused a direct order. That's a big no-no.

[last5oh_302]

People with animal rights sensitivities should never be farmers or CO's.

I believe a CO or farmer that doesn't have animal rights sensitivities doesn't make for a good CO or farmer, but especially a CO. Yes ,he may get it for insubordination.

[trimmer21]

I believe a CO or farmer that doesn't have animal rights sensitivities doesn't make for a good CO or farmer, but especially a CO. Yes ,he may get it for insubordination.

Thanks. That's what I meant to say. I amended my post.

[gooseman]

I agree with the officer, why kill the cubs if no harm was done and they can be relocated to a remote area when they are older. Hope he gets reinstated.



British Columbia's Ministry of Environment is investigating after a conservation officer was suspended for refusing to kill two black bear cubs.
Bryce Casavant was dispatched to a home near Port Hardy, located near the northern tip of Vancouver Island, for reports of a black bear eating salmon from a freezer over the weekend.
Since it had eaten human food, the hungry bear was killed.
PHOTOS




Conservation officer Bryce Casavant is seen trying to calm a bear cub before taking it to a rehabilitation organization on Vancouver Island in this still from a YouTube video.



A conservation officer was suspended after refusing to euthanize two bear cubs near Port Hardy over the weekend.



Casavant was then told to euthanize the bear’s two young cubs. However he refused, arguing there was no proof they had eaten human food.
He tranquilized the animals and took them to the North Island Wildlife Recovery Association, which specializes in reintroducing wild animals to their natural habitat.
Since he had refused to kill the animals, Casavant was suspended without pay.
Environment Minister Mary Polak issued a statement on Tuesday calling the situation with Casavant "very sad and unfortunate."
She said the government has launched an investigation into the details surrounding the suspension.
An online petition started by the North Island Wildlife Recovery Association demanding Casavant be reinstated has garnered over 13,000 signatures.
Staff with the wildlife association say they trust the opinion of conservation officers when accepting animals and are stunned by the outcome.
"I think it's unbelievable. If you can't depend on him, there's nobody else," said Robin Campbell, the founder and manager of the association.
Other staff at the association say the bears are being introduced to other bear cubs and are settling in well.
Campbell says the bears have shown no sign of habituation and could be reintroduced to the wild as soon as next summer.
With files from CTV Vancouver

[werner.reiche]

"has the balls to not be a robot by using his own discretion"... in an employment situation, that is called "insubordination" and in most places is grounds for dismissal with cause if the direction given is not illegal or endangering the employee or others.

[kickingfrog]

I'm having some trouble here. Were we for, or against, the bear being shot by the cops in Newmarket a months ago or so instead of waiting for the MNR to show up and remove it?

Sometimes there are too many sheep.

[last5oh_302]

I'm having some trouble here. Were we for, or against, the bear being shot by the cops in Newmarket a months ago or so instead of waiting for the MNR to show up and remove it?

Sometimes there are too many sheep.

Not everything is so black and white.

[terrym]

The cubs are too young to survive without humans feeding them so of course they will imprint onto humans as a food source. Secondly by the time they are released they will have poor survival skills and will be intruding into a wild bear's territory which will not go well. These cubs won't survive long after they get returned into the wild so would it be a more humane end to have a CO kill them instantly with a firearm or have them starve and get shot later as nuisance bears? All of it is a damned shame but nature is cruel and bears are near the top of the food chain in the wild and are territorial. As sad as it is destroying them was probably the logical choice. Black bears are not endangered at all. Dominant male bears kill and eat cubs all the time.

[werner.reiche]

I'm having some trouble here. Were we for, or against, the bear being shot by the cops in Newmarket a months ago or so instead of waiting for the MNR to show up and remove it?

Sometimes there are too many sheep.

Same problem. Same solution required.
Bear cubs only stay little and cute for a year - then they are "problem bears".
And unless someone can find a wild bear to adopt these cubs, they will either wind up as bear food or problem bears.
That we let the cuteness of cubs interfere with the practical problem at hand, well blame Walt Disney for that, I guess.

[Fishy Wishy]

Same problem. Same solution required.
Bear cubs only stay little and cute for a year - then they are "problem bears".
And unless someone can find a wild bear to adopt these cubs, they will either wind up as bear food or problem bears.
That we let the cuteness of cubs interfere with the practical problem at hand, well blame Walt Disney for that, I guess.

Nope. Blame A. A. Milne & E. H. Shepard