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David_james
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« on: August 03, 2007, 11:22:44 PM » |
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CHRISTOPHER LAKE, Sask. (CP) - A counsellor at a northern Saskatchewan Bible camp is feeling the heat for killing and roasting a squirrel over a campfire.
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The bushy-tailed rodent was injured recently after the counsellor at Camp Kadesh, which is located about 48 kilometres northwest of Prince Albert, threw a stick in its direction.
Camp director Curtis Anderson said the man destroyed the injured animal and wanted to prove that nothing should go to waste by skinning and roasting it.
"It was an accidental, foolish mistake," said Anderson.
"He wasn't trying to make a spectacle. He was trying to make the best of a bad situation."
A few counsellors ate some of the squirrel.
None of the 120 children at the camp had any and most didn't appear to be concerned about the incident, said Anderson.
"It seemed to me that the campers saw that it happened, whatever their opinion was, they just kind of went away from it and said let's move on," he said. "There wasn't the sense that it was too much of an issue."
But two parents were outraged. They called Anderson, demanding the counsellor be fired.
"I told them that it was a mistake and that it shouldn't have happened," said the camp director.
After consulting with directors at other Bible camps, the RCMP, and the SPCA, Anderson determined that it would be "an overreaction to fire the counsellor."
"No one was overly pleased with the situation, but at the same time the RCMP said nothing illegal had happened," he noted.
The SPCA agreed that eating the squirrel may be "gross," but is not illegal. Pat Slater, manager of the Prince Albert SPCA, said she's more concerned with the counsellor's actions in hurting the animal.
"The first thing that he did wrong was he threw a stick at the squirrel and hit it," said Slater.
"If you're not intending to injure it or kill it, you wouldn't be throwing a stick. To do this in front of children, to roast it in front of children, I think that he's sending completely the wrong message.
"Just because it's not illegal doesn't mean it's right."
The camp plans to send a written apology to parents and has instituted a new policy against throwing sticks at squirrels.
Eating squirrels is not unheard of, according to the Saskatchewan Outfitters Association.
"First Nations people certainly eat squirrels a lot and hunt them a lot and use them for food," association executive director Hal Stupnikoff said from Prince Albert. "The trappers used to trap a lot of squirrels for their fur.
"They are edible apparently. I've never tried one myself, but they are edible. I prefer t-bone steak."
Stupnikoff said the incident with the camp counsellor has been "totally blown out of proportion"and is "quite silly."
Anderson fears it will overshadow the work happening at the camp and the counsellor's good reputation.
"The individual who made the mistake, he's one of our best counsellors," said Anderson. "He's amazing, he loves kids, he volunteers with youth groups during the winter time.
"He recognizes that he made a mistake and he's deeply saddened by what he's done."
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