Kerry McCluskey
Northern News Services

IQALUIT (Feb 08/99) - The raven that Craig Clark tried to save more than three weeks ago is dead.

Wildlife officers working for the Department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development (RWED) killed the bird because according to a senior advisor, they were following government legislation.

Clark, who, just over a week ago, found the bird struggling with a broken wing and was trying to nurse it back to health, was in the process of trying to secure the permits that would allow him to keep the recovering bird in the event that it was unable to fly again.

He had a meeting scheduled for Feb. 10 with the board of directors of the Amarok Hunters and Trappers Association to discuss the permit, but the wildlife officers went into his home last Thursday morning with a search warrant and seized the raven.

Joe Tigullaraq said the officers were just doing their job.

"The bird was confiscated under a section of the Wildlife Act that says wildlife cannot be kept without the proper permit," said Tigullaraq, the senior advisor of wildlife management for Nunavut headquarters.

He explained that he thought Clark was going to have difficulty obtaining the permit from the HTA so the officers went ahead and killed the bird a few hours after seizing it.

"According to the vet, the raven was never going to fly again so it was taken out of its misery. The story we received was that the HTA was not prepared to give the permit."

Pitseolak Alainga, chair of the HTA, confirmed it was unlikely that Clark would have been able to keep the raven, but he said the officers acted before the HTA was consulted.

"We don't like seeing any animal injured. All of the board here doesn't like that and the decision would have been to kill the bird," said Alainga.

In the meantime, Iqaluit MLA Ed Picco looked into the matter on Clark's behalf and was given the same story about the officers following the law.

"The guy who did it, he followed the legislation as it is, but this is a farce. You've got to have a little leeway here. It's a case of the government running amuck," said Picco, who asked that an investigation into the matter be held.

Joe Handley, deputy minister of RWED, said that such an investigation would be conducted.

"I asked for a review of what happened, why our officers felt compelled to put the bird down. I want to get more details," said Handley.

While Clark said he was happy that it was being looked into, he said he was angry about the turn of events.

"It goes beyond the raven now. It's symbolic of the whole bureaucratic mess. This is crazy."

Clark said he was further angered that he was treated like a criminal for trying to do a good deed.

"I was trying to do what I thought was a good thing and I end up being treated like a criminal. They got a warrant and searched my house and I haven't been charged yet, but I was told that I could be."