An email exchange reportedly about orders given to British Columbia conservation officer Bryce Casavant to kill orphaned bear cubs has been released by an unidentified person who claims to be affiliated with popular hacker group Anonymous.
The email exchange that happened on July 3 and 5, which was distributed on Friday morning to various Vancouver news outlets, provided a detailed communication between the officer and most probably his superior, according to Metro News Canada.
It was reported earlier that Casavant was relieved of his duties because he refused to kill two orphaned bear cubs. The mother of the black bear cubs was killed after it raided a meat freezer located inside a mobile home in Port Hardy, Vancouver Island.
Casavant was ordered to kill the cubs as well, but he refused and took them to an animal hospital instead. The bears are now located in a recovery facility run by the North Island Wildlife Recovery Association in Errington, Vancouver Island.
In the recently-released emails (via Global News Canada) with the other person's identity redacted, the unknown person repeatedly ordered the conservation officer to send the bear cubs for immediate euthanasia, describing the creatures as "garbage habituated."
It was also shown that Casavant was asking for alternative options in handling the cubs. The email also reads: "I know how hard these scenarios are Bryce, and I appreciate your good intentions, but sometimes this is the outcome we need to take."
The unknown person then asked for an update from Casavant, but the latter insisted that the cubs did not have access to garbage based on witness accounts.
The next email stated that Casavant was immediately removed from his duties. There has been no confirmation on how authentic the emails were, as reported in Global News Canada. Casavant was also asked to comment, but he could not provide any at the moment.
Online support for Casavant grew, and a petition to re-instate the officer has been launched. As for the cubs, the British Columbia Ministry of Environment did not state what plans they have for them, but said the Conservation Office Service was looking into the matter and the "actions of its members."
