Chad Dupuis, a resident of Slave Lake, Alberta, has been employed by Alberta Parks since 2017. According to Dupuis, living and working in the forest had led him to underestimate the wildlife that inhabit the woods. The incident occurred at Carson Pegasus Provincial Park on a particularly busy Sunday, which marked the peak of the weekly activities at the park. As the maintenance supervisor for the past four years, Dupuis and his team had just completed preparing over 120 camping sites for incoming visitors.
Maintaining a park involves demanding tasks like cleaning up litter, clearing firepit ashes, untangling ropes from trees, and tidying up after weekend campers. Despite the challenging work, Dupuis was in high spirits as the day drew to a close. Upon returning to his Winnebago after parking his truck, he anticipated a delightful evening barbecue featuring steak.
However, upon entering his camper, Dupuis noticed the absence of the meat he had prepared for dinner. Perplexed, he considered various scenarios, including the recent visit of a two-year-old black bear to his site. Nonetheless, the lack of a messy intrusion ruled out the bear as the culprit. Puzzled, Dupuis speculated whether an unauthorized person had taken the steaks, but dismissed the idea upon realizing that a jar of change on the counter remained untouched.
The mystery unraveled when Dupuis noticed a softball-sized hole in the window screen near the couch. It became evident that a small animal had chewed through the screen and snatched his dinner. Feeling somewhat defeated, Dupuis likened the situation to childhood disappointments, where anticipated joy was replaced by unexpected losses.
Reflecting on his years of interactions with forest wildlife, Dupuis acknowledged that the incident served as a poignant reminder of the animals’ domain. Amidst contemplation, he heard a growl emanating from beneath the bed, prompting him to investigate. Opening the camper’s side door to reveal the space under the bed, Dupuis waited as a reddish-brown pine marten, a cat-sized member of the weasel family, emerged and scurried up a nearby tree. Relieved that the intruder had departed, Dupuis returned to his camper, planning to share the quirky tale with his colleagues.
Despite losing his anticipated steak dinner to the pine marten, Dupuis embraced the unexpected turn of events as a testament to the wild and unpredictable nature of forest-dwelling creatures. The evening concluded with a resigned acceptance of dining with a character named Mr. Noodle, setting the stage for a memorable story to share with his park crew.