BC man fired after saving moose calf on highway

“She and I kind of bonded on the ride home. I mean, damn it, we spent five and a half hours in the pickup together.”

It’s always nice to have company on a long road trip – but in this case, a man from Fort Nelson, BC, says he was the unexpected companion of a moose calf, who willingly jumped into the passenger seat of his truck to have his jaws cut. escape from a waiting black bear.

But Mark Skage said he was fired for the act. His employer, AFD Petroleum Inc., let him go for violating wildlife protocols.

Skage told CBC News he was traveling north of Fort Nelson when he saw the calf standing alone on the side of the road, with no mother in sight. After the calf was nearly hit by some cars, he decided to pull over to try and scare her off the side of the highway.

However, when he opened the car door, the calf trotted over and began trying to climb into his pickup truck.

“After the second time she tried to get in, I looked up across the road, I happened to look over there — and halfway down the ditch, maybe 50 yards or so, there was a black bear there,” Skage said.

“I just couldn’t, in my heart. People can say whatever they want. I know as outdoorsmen, we talk about predator control. … Black bears are the number one predator for those calves. , I can’t for it predator, but I think I might try to help this little calf.'”

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game says that in areas up north where grizzly bears are uncommon, black bears are known to kill up to 40 percent of moose calves.

After waiting a while to see if the calf’s mother would scare off the bear, Skage decided to take the calf with her. On the way, he called the BC Conservation Officer Service to find a place to stay for the calf.

A few days later, the calf was taken to a wildlife sanctuary.

Skage said that in situations like this, the right decision is often to let nature take its course. But in this case, he made a judgment to help the calf, and he felt it was the right one – especially considering he later found out that the calf is a female.

“It wasn’t just one moose calf that God saved. It was a whole bunch… She’s going to grow up and have lots of babies, and her babies are going to have babies. I think it’s positive. I believe that in my heart.”

AFD Petroleum Inc. however, thought otherwise.

The company said in a statement that it is aware of videos on social media showing the incident, and that it is cooperating with provincial authorities and will provide them with any information they need.

AFD said Skage’s actions violated the company’s protocols around wildlife interactions.

“Rather than report the situation to a conservation officer and allow authorities to rescue and relocate the moose, the individual made the independent decision to transport an unharmed moose calf, a wild animal, in the front seat of his company vehicle many hours,” Dale Reimer, president of AFD Petroleum, said in an emailed statement.

“This not only endangered the worker and other road users, but also potentially caused fear and harm to the moose.”

The BC Conservation Officer Service also confirmed that it is investigating the incident.

CBC News has requested more information from the service about that investigation.

Skage told CBC News that he doesn’t endorse anyone else for doing what he did — noting that he has some experience with wildlife and has acted as a consultant to several companies, helping them create their own protocols for animals in the wild.

In fact, handling or moving a wild animal from its place is illegal.

“It is against the law to pick up wildlife from the road or from the wild anywhere. It is illegal to own and transport wildlife,” Skage said.

Skage said he is willing to pay any fines that may be imposed on him for his actions, but in this case he still believes he was right.

WildSafeBC program manager Lisa Lopez told CBC News that aside from the issue of legal repercussions, it can be dangerous to try to interact with wildlife.

“These animals are wild animals, you know, we don’t know what kind of reaction they’re going to have, you don’t know what kind of animal is around. Mothers of cubs will protect their cubs,” Lopez said.

“And so it’s always the best idea to always do your best to leave. Provide space. If you can, keep an eye on the animal and then call in the experts to be sure, but definitely keep space between you and that animal.”

If you come across an animal you think is injured or sick, the provincial government says there are several agencies you can report the incident to, depending on the type of animal involved. It can be dangerous to touch or handle sick, injured or dead animals.