Game warden’s actions appropriate in Bangor bear incident

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Bangor residents in the Fairmount Park area got a bit of a surprise Saturday morning when a black bear tromped through the neighborhood.

The visit didn’t turn out well for the bear, which was shot and killed by Maine Game Warden Jim Fahey, who grew up on Royal Road in the same Bangor neighborhood.

It didn’t take long for second-guessers to begin sounding off on the BDN Web site, essentially calling Fahey a heartless butcher who thoughtlessly assassinated an otherwise innocent bear.

If the whole situation wasn’t so sad, I’d be tempted to laugh at the characterizations of Fahey that have been making the rounds of cyberspace.

It’s sad, not because of the demise of the wayward bear, but because Fahey was merely doing his job – doing it well, I’d assert – and is being castigated for it.

Maine’s game wardens seldom receive much praise from the general public. You’ll never hear a warden complain about that.

You also don’t hear wardens walking around town, bragging about the things they do on a daily basis.

Things like searching the woods in blizzards, looking for lost hikers or hunters or snowmobilers.

Things like heading out onto the water on days when the wind’s blowing 40 mph, just to try find a boater who may or may not have capsized … all the evidence they’ve got is a cell phone call for help that ended before any useful information could be given.

Things like giving the coats off their backs to those freezing souls after successful searches, trying desperately to make sure hypothermia doesn’t set in.

Things like going out into the cold and ice and wind on brutal days when even the most hardy souls stay in … because it’s their job.

And things like dealing with animals which are causing a public health hazard … like the bear.

Folks don’t regularly think about things like that. And they don’t think about guys like Jim Fahey, either.

Until something happens and the wardens are needed.

On Saturday, wardens were needed. Fahey answered the call. And he did what he was supposed to do: He relied on his experience, training and expertise and acted in the public’s interest. As a result, no one – save the bear – was injured.

In my book, that’s a good outcome for a bad situation. Would I rather the bear was munching berries in Sangerville right now? Certainly. But I’m comfortable with the decision that was made Saturday morning.

Having dealt with Fahey on several occasions, I’ve gotten to know him a little bit. I trust him as a warden and like him as a man.

And I can assure you of this much: When the bear died, Jim Fahey wasn’t standing there gloating, nor celebrating. He was likely saddened a bit, as many of the on-lookers were.

The fact of the matter: We may feel like we’re city-dwellers here in Bangor, but we’re often only a few hundred yards from critters we assume are safely wandering around in the big woods.

Last year, for example, a bear was sighted in what many figured was an unlikely place: Walking around near some condos adjacent to Bangor High School’s soccer and practice football fields.

City dwellers? Not even close.

In situations like the one that played out Saturday, wardens are forced to play a bit of a what-if game.

What if I take this action? What if I don’t? What could happen? How could I stop it from happening?

And most important: How do I keep people safe?

After the fact, we members of the general public may decide that we would have played the what-if game a bit differently. We may have made different decisions. We may have even been lucky, and made the right choice.

But for us to assume the scenario would have played out in a better fashion had we been wearing the green uniform is presumptuous at best … arrogant or ignorant at worst.

Fahey was there. He was the one the state spent thousands of dollars to train. He was the one who made the decision.

Fahey also was intimately familiar with the layout of the neighborhood, where he played as a youngster and where many children play ball, ride bicycles and use the equipment at Fairmount Park every day.

And as we sit back and debate what happened that morning, it’s important to realize a simple fact: Fahey succeeded. Nobody was hurt.

Yes, a bear died. That’s unfortunate.

Equally unfortunate is the fact many of us learned everything we know about wildlife by watching episodes of “Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom” or the “Crocodile Hunter” on TV.

We’ve come to believe that tranquilizer darts are magical, and always readily available. We believe that a dart will work instantly, and the tranquilized critter will immediately begin snoring.

We believe a myth.

And now some of us want to blame Fahey for our own ignorance.

Whether you would have done the same thing Fahey did or not isn’t really the question, you see.

Instead, ask yourself this: Did Jim Fahey’s actions make that neighborhood safer for everyone?

jholyoke@bangordailynews.net

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