Conservation officers said the "best option" was to put down a black bear cub after a well-meaning B.C. woman took the bear home.
Tiana Jackson spotted the black bear alone on Friday near Dawson Creek, and waited for its mother to show up.
"I just knew it was alone," Jackson told CTV News on Tuesday.
She watched the bear, and decided to call RCMP when its mother still did not show up. She was redirected to a conservation officer, who told her he would head to the area, but that he was two hours away.
The cub started to wander away, and she was worried the bear would disappear by the time the officer arrived.
"He was in need of assistance. He seemed a little thin and weak. Very lost and very alone," Jackson wrote in a Facebook post, which has been shared more than 2,000 times.
She decided to call her brother, Shawn Jackson, to help her catch the cub so they could turn it over to the conservation officer when he arrived.
"We thought, 'Well let's just see if we can capture this guy and get it to safety,'" she told CTV.
Along with Shawn's wife, the group was able to corral the cub and wrap it in a blanket, then bring it to the car.
They then brought the bear to her home, and put it in a large dog kennel. They gave it grass, dog food and water, and it seemed relaxed within a few minutes, she said.
Meanwhile, the conservation officer called to ask what had happened, and told her that the bear would have to be put down. The officer told her it would be the most humane thing to do, she said.
Jackson's fiancé made some calls, and was able to arrange transportation for the bear to a wildlife centre in Smithers.
When the officer arrived, Jackson told him about their plan, but the officer told her that it wouldn't be able to be rehabilitated.
Chris Doyle, deputy chief of provincial operations for the Conservation Officer Service, told CTV News the officer had no choice but to put the bear down.
"It's a difficult situation and the officer made the assessment that the cub was not a good candidate for a rehabilitation facility," Doyle said.
"The assessment was made that the cub was in poor health and wasn't mobile during the assessment."
He said officers use a number of criteria to determine whether a cub can be rehabilitated, with factors including overall health and interaction with humans.
The conservation officer determined that the bear was in distress and that euthanasia was the "best option" based on the situation, Doyle said.
Jackson said she sat in front of the kennel, crying and begging, but that the officer gave the bear a lethal injection.
"He growled, he cried, then (the officer) gave it a lethal injection and left," Jackson said.
Interfering with wildlife can carry a year-long sentence and a fine of up to $100,000, but Doyle said he realized that the Jackson siblings had good intentions, and that he was not aware of any current investigation.
Jackson's Facebook post has sparked a fierce debate online, where some argue that the siblings are at fault, and others are critical of the officer.
"Looking back, I blame myself that this bear is dead," Jackson said.
The provincial service is facing criticism over the number of bears killed, and last summer an officer who refused to put down two abandoned cubs almost lost his job.
"It's always an unfortunate incident when a conservation officer has to euthanize an animal. It's definitely the most distressing part of the job for the conservation officer," Doyle said.
Doyle added that a lot of wildlife conflicts are preventable, and some of them are caused by humans.
"What we prefer is for animals to stay wild and not be in positions of conflict."
He said in this case, the best outcome for the cub would have been if it had stayed with its mother. Even though the bear's parents could not be seen, they may have been nearby, he said.
"It's always best if possible to leave the animal where you've seen it and call the COS to assess the situation."
With a report from CTV Vancouver's Tom Popyk
