A Canadian man in British Columbia says he was fired June 6 after rescuing a moose calf from a black bear, according to the CBC.
A Canadian fuel supplier was reportedly fired after his company found out that he allowed a young moose to ride shotgun in his work truck to escape a potential bear attack on a road in British Columbia, the outlet reported.
Canadian man fired from job after saving baby moose from bear: ‘I couldn’t just leave her’ https://t.co/Wmk5t9Dlfk pic.twitter.com/kInUZ6mnpc
— New York Post (@nypost) July 16, 2023
“Her and I just kind of bonded on the ride home. I mean, shucks, we had like five and a half hours in the pickup truck together,” Mark Skage, the former AFD Petroleum Inc. employee, said, according to the report.
The Fort Nelson man claimed his employer fired him because he broke wildlife protocols when he allowed the moose calf — who he says willingly jumped into the passenger seat when he opened the door — to remain inside the vehicle for transport, the outlet reported. (RELATED: Alaska Man Finds Wild Moose Choking On Plastic Bag, Steps In)
Skage posted a picture of himself with the moose calf on Facebook.
The moose calf was almost hit by several cars before being saved, said Skage. Skage tried to scare the animal off of the highway before allowing it to ride in his truck after concluding its mother was not nearby, the outlet reported.
“Black bears are the number one predator for those calves. So I just thought, ‘Well, I can’t take care of the predator, but I guess maybe I can try to help out this little calf,’” Skage said, according to the outlet.
AFD Petroleum Inc. released a statement regarding Skage’s termination.
“Instead of reporting the situation to a conservation officer and allowing the authorities to handle the rescue and relocation of the moose, the individual made the independent decision to transport an uninsured moose calf, a wild animal, in the front seat of his company vehicle for many hours,” said Dale Reimer, the AFD Petroleum president. “This not only put the employee and other road users at risk but also potentially caused distress and harm to the moose.”
While driving with the moose calf, Skage called the B.C. Conservation Officer Service. The moose calf was housed in a wildlife rehabilitation center, the outlet reported.