Kerry McCluskey
Northern News Services

IQALUIT (Feb 01/99) - Dogs aren't always man's best friend.

And even though Iqaluit artist Craig Clark keeps more than a few four-legged beasts around his home, it's the raven that graces many of his paintings.

So, when a friend phoned him about an injured raven that was struggling with a severely broken wing near his home a few weeks ago, he left work immediately to see what he could do to help the creature.

"It's freaky that (the raven) came to me because I really like ravens. I've got a raven painted on my front door and lots of other paintings of ravens," says Clark, who armed himself with a shovel and went off in search of the bird.

"I had no idea how injured she was and I had every intention of finishing her off."

Clark says it wasn't too hard to find the carrion-eater because about 100 other ravens had gathered to watch the ailing bird. As he approached, she -- and Clark is just assuming the bird is female -- started to lead him up the hill where he kept getting stuck in deep snow.

He eventually caught up with the bird and, exhausted and soaked with snow, he sat down beside her and lit a cigarette.

"I just sat there and talked to it and it was like she was just waiting for me. I said let's see if we can fix you or put you out of your misery."

Clark says the raven, who so far remains unnamed, let him pick her up and carry her back to the house. Eventually, a veterinarian arrived and after consulting with other bird doctors on the Internet, the wing was bandaged and the raven put on antibiotics.

Because the raven will likely never fly again, Clark wants to keep her. But he is beginning to find out what a nightmare of red tape it is to secure the appropriate permits to harbour a wild animal.

If he can't find his way through the bureaucratic maze, the raven will probably have to be destroyed.

Clark's friend Marcel Mason says the whole situation is absurd.

"I find it ridiculous the hoops you have to jump through to basically do a good deed."