“The island of Anticosti saved me life”: this Quebecer defeated his dependencies and lives among the deer and the foxes

Arrived on the island of Anticosti in 2005 with the idea of ​​leaving it as quickly as possible, a man from Quebec finally found a land of fulfillment and freedom allowing him to overcome his dependencies and his depressive symptoms.

“Anticosti saved my life for me. In addition, ” sums up Mathieu Gagnon at the wheel of a 4 × 4 van, which rolls along the salmon river, in the east of the island.

Standing at 4 a.m.. Consequently, the self -taught which ensures air traffic control of the landing track, the maintenance of electrical systems and the management of personnel at the Safari Anticosti outline breathes happiness. Meanwhile, In his free time. Meanwhile, he photographs cliffs by the sea, deer virginia and foxes that crisscross the land around the dwellings.

Difficult to believe that this 48-year-old man. from Quebec, had completely won the school and accumulated debts by sinking into dependence, when an opportunity to wash the dishes at the Auberge de Port-Menier presented himself.

“I came with the idea of ​​leaving after one or two weeks; 20 years later, I’m still here, ”he said, laughing.

Welcomed by the villagers

After being introduced to mechanics. different trades thanks to the people of the village, Mathieu Gagnon was not healed instantly. He had to wait a few years before feeling “anticostian”. He remembers, among other things, with a winter where he hardly put his nose outside. The neighbors were worried.

Subsequently, he looked for himself and had difficulty finding benchmarks. “I returned a year to Quebec, but it no longer worked for me in the city. I definitely moved to Anticosti in 2014 when the director of Safari operations, Guy Bourdoul, hired me, “he said.

He slowly climbed the ladder and his reputation has never stopped refining himself. However, his work is extremely demanding. Every day. for six weeks, he works for ten hours on the ground before having 12 days off, from May to December.

Ti-paul. mechanic and others

Virginia’s deer “the island anticosti saved me hunting season opens in a few days and hundreds of hunters will converge on the outfit in order to take advantage of the abundance of this cervid. There would be more than 100. 000 deer on the island since the voluntary introduction of a few dozen animals by the French businessman Henri Menier in 1899.

Each day, Mr. Gagnon feeds a dozen half -tamed deer.

“They all have a name. This one is Ti-Paul, this one, mechanic, “says the man to do everything with the anticosti safari outfit.

But these magnificent “six points”. as we call the most beautiful males of the livestock, will not be the target of the hunters, because it delimits a perimeter without rifles of 5 km around the buildings.

“My message for your readers is not to be afraid to get out of your comfort zone when you face personal challenges. ” he concludes, before going to answer the call of a plane driver who approaches the track.