Last Thursday afternoon, I met with the CAO of the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District and the City Manager for Port Alberni to discuss the Wild Coast project and to invite the participation of their respective jurisdictions in making it happen with financial support.
During the meeting, the City Manager mentioned that a WCB (aka WorkSafeBC) inspector visited a municipal crew cutting bush at the edge of town. The workers passed every test, except one. The inspector asked them what training their employer had given them for encounters or conflicts with wild animals. They had received none.
The City Manager thought a man with a chainsaw was not likely to be attacked. I countered "Not so". If he is bent over sharpening the blades, he makes an easy target for a cougar to suddenly spring onto him, lock its fangs on the back of his neck and drag him down away from the chainsaw in a heartbeat.
I can see why WCB is starting to inquire about this training for workers.
By the way, with all the hype building around recent spate of cougar attacks in BC, there is a danger that we'll slip back to the bad old days when top predators were demonized and were shot, poisoned, and trapped at every available moment. But again, I pass along this reminder and warning from the Wildlife-Human Conflict Specialist at Pacific Rim: "They're adapting to us, but we're not adapting to them." It's absolutely critical that we learn how to, if we wish to save the wild.
- Rick Searle's blog
- Log in or register to post comments
