Man Fired For Saving Baby Moose On Highway From Black Bear After Driving It To Safety In Company Truck (Story & Pictures)

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Blake Seidel • Managing Editor & Brand Manager
Jul 29, 2023 1:00 PM EDT

Mark Skage was driving on a highway in British Columbia when he saw a moose calf loitering at the edge of the road. The calf almost got hit by several cars before he decided to go over and try to scare it away. He says the calf tried to enter his truck multiple times and he couldn't find the mother anywhere. After failing to scare the calf away, he noticed a black bear patrolling near the highway and realized that the calf was probably its prey.

He knew it was illegal to transport uninjured wildlife, but he did it anyway. He saved the calf in his company truck and drove it away from the black bear while calling Wildlife Protective Services for help. His company decided to fire him over this because he did break the law for transporting the moose calf, and there was no evidence on security cameras or his social media of any bear. Do you think he should have been fired?

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  • 01
    Font - B.C. man fired from job after saving moose calf on the highway
    via Srushti Gangdev
  • 02
    Smile - ㅜㅜㅜ
    via Mark Skage

    The moose calf looks so cute! We're not sure we would be able to resist taking it with us either if it jumped in our car. We know we're supposed to let nature take its course, but it's sooooooooo cute!

  • 03
    Light - OFF A/C 19 SYNC
    via Mark Skage

    Look how wholesome that big, chonky face is! She's even smiling, she's probably happy to be in a place with heating (this happened in Canada, and we just assume that it's always cold there).

  • 04
    Plant - PORISATE SANKEYWRY
    via Mark Skage
  • 05
    Tire
    via Mark Skage
  • 06
    Organism
    via Mark Skage
  • 07
    Font - 'Halfway across the ditch, maybe like 50 yards, there was a black bear standing there,' Mark Skage said
    via Srushti Gangdev
  • 08
    Font - Mark Skage says he rescued a baby moose from a bear on the side of the highway north of Fort Nelson, B.C. but was fired for breaking the company's wildlife protocols. (Submitted by Mark Skage)
    via Srushti Gangdev
  • 09
    Font - It's always nice to have company on a long road trip — and in this case, a Fort Nelson, B.C., man says he found himself the unexpected companion of a moose calf, who willingly hopped into the passenger seat of his truck to escape the jaws of a waiting black bear. But Mark Skage said he was fired for the act. His employer, AFD Petroleum Inc., let him go for breaking wildlife protocols.
    via Srushti Gangdev
  • 10
    Font - As he opened the car door, however, the calf trotted over and started trying to climb into his pickup truck. "After the second time she tried to get in, I looked up across the road, I just happened to glance over there and halfway across the ditch, maybe like 50 yards, there was a black bear standing there," Skage said. -
    via Srushti Gangdev
  • 11
    Font - After waiting for a while to see if the calf's mother would appear to scare away the bear, Skage decided to take the moose with him calling the B.C. Conservation Officer Service on the way to find a place for the calf to stay. Several days later, the calf was taken to a wildlife rehabilitation centre.
    via Srushti Gangdev
  • 12
    Font - AFD Petroleum, however, felt differently. The company said in a statement that it's aware of videos on social media showing the incident, and it's working with provincial authorities and will provide them with any information they may require. AFD said Skage's actions breached the company's protocols around interactions with wildlife.
    via Srushti Gangdev
  • 13
    Font - "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 uninjured moose calf, a wild animal, in the front seat of his company vehicle for many hours," AFD president Dale Reimer said in an emailed statement. "This not only put the employee and other road users at risk but also potentially caused distress and harm to the moose."
    via Srushti Gangdev
  • 14
    Font - The company also disputed Skage's version of events, saying in a statement Sunday that two-way footage from the truck showed no evidence of a bear nearby and said Skage did not appear to have looked for the calf's mother.
    via Srushti Gangdev

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