A Canadian man says he was fired from his job at a fuel supplier company because he saved a baby moose calf from being attacked by a bear.
According to the Facebook page of Mark Skage, he had been on his way back to town in British Columbia, Canada on June 6, returning from a job site for AFD Petroleum Inc. That’s when he spotted an abandoned baby moose wandering on the side of the road, and there was also a black bear no more than 50 yards away from the calf awaiting its perfect opportunity for attacking the defenseless little one.
I made a decision at the time after she kept tryin to climb into the work truck that I couldn’t just leave her there. So I stuck her in the passenger side and drove to town to get her some help. I communicated with my supervisor as well as the CO service before luckily findin a spot for her to stay for a few day ( thanks again to the person with the big heart. You know who you are ).
Facebook post
Skage has been an outdoorsman for most of his life and did realize rescuing the calf had been against the law. Skage also knew that black bears are the top predators for these calves, and he knew he just wanted to help the calf even it was illegal to be in possession and/or to transport wildlife.
Fortunately, Skage was able to find a wildlife center and named the baby moose, Misty. There, the calf would be cared for until she was old enough to fend for herself and then would be released back to the wild.
All had been going quite well, that is until AFD Petroleum stated rescuing the moose was in direct conflict with their wildlife policies. They later decided to fire Skage.
AFD felt different and figured I was in grievous conflict with their wildlife policies. ( they had never taken the time to know my background ). Anyway to wrap up they did decide given all their options that letting me go was the best thing. So the lesson I learned was AFD is ok spilling fuel on the ground but not helping wildlife.
The company chided Skage for his decision and stated he should have contacted the conservation department to bring trained wildlife officers to handle the relocation of Misty. Maybe the trip in the car riding shotgun with the person who saved her may have caused the calf stress, but looking at the photos posted on Mark’s Facebook page, perhaps had not left readers with that opinion. Hundreds of comments on Skage’s Facebook page contained positive support for his actions.
Of course, Misty might not have ever survived the bear encounter if wildlife officials did not arrive in a timely manner?
Mark admitted his actions were illegal and has since warned against handling or moving wild animals; emphasizing the need to report such situations to experts.
Thoughts?
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