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Letter to the Editor: Pave way for multi-family housing in Sugar Notch

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Ashley police arrest man who threatened to do ‘something like Orlando’

<p>Sometimes you can&#8217;t take a chance.</p><p>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.</p><p>Last August, an alligator was discovered by an angler fishing in Harris Pond, right next to the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission&#8217;s regional office in Sweet Valley.</p><p>How it got there we still don&#8217;t know, but an agency Waterways Conservation Officer promptly responded to the call and dispatched the alligator.</p><p>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&#8217;s Reptiland, for example. But I spoke with Peeling and he said there wasn&#8217;t room.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>Safety is one reason why the Pennsylvania Game Commission traps and relocates bears that are causing problems in neighborhoods. It&#8217;s the reason why any wildlife displaying signs of rabies has to be dispatched.</p><p>And safety is the reason why the PGC, every spring, issues a press release cautioning against picking up and handling wildlife.</p><p>I don&#8217;t want to create the impression that wild animals are dangerous and we should fear going into the woods. Just the opposite is true.</p><p>In fact, I feel safer in the woods than I would walking down a city street.</p><p>But the thing we need to remember about wildlife is that they&#8217;re unpredictable.</p><p>Sure, attacks on humans by black bears are rare in Pennsylvania, but it could happen. That&#8217;s why it&#8217;s important to enjoy the opportunity to see the majestic animals - but do it from a distance.</p><p>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.</p><p>When it comes to trekking into the woods, swamps and fields of Pennsylvania, there&#8217;s nothing to fear, but there is every reason to be smart and cautious.</p><p>The case of the Harris Pond alligator is different, however.</p><p>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.</p><p>There&#8217;s no difference.</p><p>With one exception.</p><p>Alligators aren&#8217;t native to Pennsylvania. This one certainly didn&#8217;t belong in Harris Pond - and the PFBC removed the threat.</p><p>They didn&#8217;t take a chance, and that was the right thing to do.</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Tom Venesky</p><p>tvenesky@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Tom Venesky at 570-991-6395 or on Twitter @TLTomVenesky</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Outdoors with Tom Venesky: Florida gator tragedy rekindles Harris Pond incident