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Sometimes you can’t take a chance.
The extremely unfortunate incident in Florida last week, where a 2-year-old boy was snatched by an alligator, was a painful reminder of how a similar threat was avoided right here in northeastern Pennsylvania.
Last August, an alligator was discovered by an angler fishing in Harris Pond, right next to the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission’s regional office in Sweet Valley.
How it got there we still don’t know, but an agency Waterways Conservation Officer promptly responded to the call and dispatched the alligator.
When the story broke, some people criticized the PFBC for killing the alligator. Some suggested capturing the reptile and giving it a new home at Clyde Peeling’s Reptiland, for example. But I spoke with Peeling and he said there wasn’t room.
At the time I felt the PFBC did the right thing by killing and removing the alligator, and after the tragic incident in Florida I have no doubt it was the right thing to do.
Harris Pond is open to the public, has plenty of shoreline access and is visited often by families with children and pets. A gator in the waters of Harris Pond presented a safety risk, and in those instances we have to place reality over emotion.
Safety is one reason why the Pennsylvania Game Commission traps and relocates bears that are causing problems in neighborhoods. It’s the reason why any wildlife displaying signs of rabies has to be dispatched.
And safety is the reason why the PGC, every spring, issues a press release cautioning against picking up and handling wildlife.
I don’t want to create the impression that wild animals are dangerous and we should fear going into the woods. Just the opposite is true.
In fact, I feel safer in the woods than I would walking down a city street.
But the thing we need to remember about wildlife is that they’re unpredictable.
Sure, attacks on humans by black bears are rare in Pennsylvania, but it could happen. That’s why it’s important to enjoy the opportunity to see the majestic animals – but do it from a distance.
Bites from rattlesnakes are also uncommon – although there was a fatality last summer in Elk County. Rattlesnakes are generally docile, but they can be provoked.
When it comes to trekking into the woods, swamps and fields of Pennsylvania, there’s nothing to fear, but there is every reason to be smart and cautious.
The case of the Harris Pond alligator is different, however.
If an alligator in a lagoon near a Walt Disney World hotel in Florida could grab a 2-year-old boy and pull him into the water, the same thing could have occurred with the gator in Harris Pond.
There’s no difference.
With one exception.
Alligators aren’t native to Pennsylvania. This one certainly didn’t belong in Harris Pond – and the PFBC removed the threat.
They didn’t take a chance, and that was the right thing to do.