In his Twitter bio, actor and comedian Ricky Gervais calls himself an ‘animal avenger.’ His feed is filled with stories of support for campaigns to save animals all over the world.
A story that took place in Port Hardy this weekend caught his attention.
Gervais tweeted:
Casavant was suspended with pay pending a performance investigation, after refusing to put down two bear cubs this weekend.
North Island Gazette reported Casavant and members of the Port Hardy Fire Department rescued the cubs, who were stuck on a tree after their mother was shot when she broke into a freezer inside a mobile home.
The two cubs were sent to the North Island Wildlife Recovery Association, where they are currently being taken care of.
On Wednesday, the BC Government and Service Employees’ Union said it was still pressing for Casavant’s full reinstatement.
An online petition was launched to reinstate Casavant as well, collecting more than 40,000 signatures by Wednesday afternoon.
Julie Mackie with the North Island Wildlife Recovery Association said the two cubs, who are believed to be about five months old and 30 pounds in weight, are doing well and have already been introduced to two other cubs at the shelter.
“They are showing all the good behavior that we want to see,” said Mackie. “They are scared if we go anywhere near the pan. They are not showing any friendliness or interest in being near people.”
Chris Doyle, acting deputy chief for the provincial operation for the B.C. Conservation Office, said the cubs were being assessed, but the initial information was that the bears were exposed to conflict and had some level of habituation and food conditioning.
– With files from Yuliya Talmazan
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