A provincial conservation officer refused orders to kill two young black bear cubs because he opposed the “needless destruction” of wildlife that could be rehabilitated, according to emails that were leaked Friday.
In the emails, conservation officer Bryce Casavant warned that First Nations on the scene, near Port Hardy on northern Vancouver Island, along with the fire department were concerned about the situation and that the province’s public image would suffer if bear cubs were destroyed.
“My primary mandate is public safety and the immediate threat has been removed (ie. the sow),” Casavant wrote July 5. “My duties as a law enforcement officer do not include the needless destruction of a baby animal that can be rehabilitated.”
The six pages of correspondence were emailed to news outlets by “hackweareanonymous@ hushmail.com,” with the comment: “Turns out our international bear hero was telling the truth.”
The B.C. government neither confirmed nor denied the validity of the emails. It only issued a statement that raised questions about a potential inside government leak of the emails, saying: “The Office of the Chief Information Officer has investigated allegations that emails from the Ministry of Environment have been obtained by a hacker group and found no evidence that the government’s email system was hacked and the system remains secure.”
Casavant also wrote: “My assessment at this time based on witness statements, health of cubs, full tits on mother, teeth of cubs, and age is that the cubs have not accessed garbage at this time. Furthermore, within the conflict matrix they have not posed a risk to public safety at this time and do not fall within the destruction category.”
The cubs’ mother was destroyed after repeatedly raiding a mobile home’s freezer.
According to statistics from the B.C. Ministry of Environment, 246 black bears were destroyed by conservation officers between April 2011 and January of this year. Forty more bears were destroyed by other responders such as police. Twenty-six black bear cubs were sent to be rehabilitated in the same span.
The email exchange starts on July 3, with reports the sow and two eight-week-old cubs had been making daily appearances at the home for a week and a half. The bears broke into a freezer and grabbed garbage from inside a home, but had not been aggressive. The home’s resident tried unsuccessfully to scare the bears.
Casavant’s apparent supervisor writes: “Unfortunately they all need to be euthanized asap Garbage habituated, inside house, B&E Bears Family unit has to be removed unfortunately No choice here Asap Tnx.”
When Casavant asks about the cut-off age for rehabilitation, he’s told: “Not ever an option for garbage habituated They are not rehab candidates.”
When the officer asks about a zoo, the answer is no different: “Final decision has been made … and you have rec’d direction re: what you need to do. I know how hard these scenarios are Bryce, and I appreciate your good intentions but sometimes this is the outcome we need to take.”
Two days later, on July 5, it becomes clear Casavant won’t carry out the execution order on the cubs. He is informed he is removed “effectively immediately” from the case and that the bears should be transferred to another officer.
Casavant counters: “I will be maintaining carriage of this file until this situation is resolved. The final result and my decision may be reviewed by management after with union representation.”
He adds: “The cubs have received full medical attention by a veterinarian for health and assessment of their diet to date. They have not accessed unnatural food at this time.”
Casavant has been suspended with pay pending an investigation. His actions have attracted international attention, with an online petition calling for his reinstatement attracting thousands of supporters.
The cubs are at the North Island Wildlife Recovery Centre.
— With files from Katherine Dedyna
