When faced with a drastic dilemma, there's never an easy way out. There's never a perfect way to solve the problem.
There have surely been times when you've been faced with ethical and moral conflicts — whether they have been inner strifes or problems that are out in the open for everyone to scrutinize and comment on. And, perhaps, you've had to deal with these dilemmas many times at work.
Surely, the best way to exhibit excellent employee behavior is to follow the rules. But in the case of this wildlife conservation officer, the decision wasn't so easy. Many like him have gone to great lengths to save endangered and helpless animals, and some have suffered as a result.
The situation that this particular officer was in called for quick thinking and immediate action. I think that he did the best he could, and, most importantly, that his heart was in the right place.
What did you think of the officer's actions? Let us know in the comments below, and please SHARE!
Officer Bryce Casavant, a wildlife conservation officer of Port Hardy, Vancouver Island, was called to action with a team of local firefighters after a report came in about a home break-in. A female black bear had entered a mobile home in rural British Columbia and had raided its meat freezer. She wanted to feed some of the salmon and deer meat to her two small cubs, who had come into the home with her.
The dispatched officers decided to put the mother bear down on the spot. They were ready to put down the cubs as well, before Casavant decided against it. Little did he know, his sympathetic actions would cost him.
Instead of euthanizing the 8-week-old cubs, Casavant saved them. Together with the firefighters, he helped the cubs down from a tree (the cubs had returned to the property and were calling for their mother). He had the brother and sister brought to the North Island Wildlife Recovery Centre, the local veterinary hospital. Unfortunately for this courageous and admirable officer, the higher-ups went ahead and suspended him. They didn't suspend him for not protecting wildlife, but rather, for not following orders and instead saving a pair of helpless, orphaned cubs.
There is an ongoing debate that has bubbled around this controversy: Should problem animals be killed in the interest of public safety? Some animals end up being taken to rehabilitation facilities, but some babies, like those of this particular mother bear, may be targeted because they are the offspring of animals with "conflict-prone behavior."
Initially, Officer Casavant was suspended without pay. Because of the controversy surrounding this issue, his actions on that fateful day are still being investigated. But people have rallied around him, defending his entirely heroic actions.
More than 150,000 supporters have signed a petition on Care.org urging for him to be reinstated. His union has recently announced that his pay has been reinstated — but that he is still under investigation and suspended.
"We'll file a grievance on behalf of him and we're going to aggressively defend him in his decision to do his job, which is conserve wildlife where appropriate," said B.C. Government and Service Employees Union President Stephanie Smith, according to a report by The Vancouver Sun.
Many have tweeted their support for Casavant, who has yet to make a public comment about his suspension. But he has expressed, very simply, his frame of mind during the rescue.
“I think it’s important for the community to know that I am here to do the right thing,” he told the Campbell River Mirror.
Even Rob Hodder, the owner of the home that was broken into, has shown his support. “It’s immoral to shoot a helpless baby bear, they are nursing still. They are not garbage bears. They are infants,” he said.
Regarding the ongoing investigation, Officer Casavant might stand a great chance. Policy does allow wildlife conservation officers to make their own judgment on euthanizing animals or taking them out of harm’s way, it they’re not thought to endanger the public.
As for the cubs, the Recovery Centre is hopeful that they will be released back into the wild in the near future.
Please SHARE if you thought Officer Casavant's actions are praiseworthy!
