Browns have black bears best interests in mind

One of the things that I really liked about meeting up with Dawn and Mike Brown, who run a wildlife rehabilitation facility specializing in black bears in New Sharon, is that they understand the bigger picture of hunting and management.

Since 1997, they've rehabbed 11 bears and sent them all back into the Maine Woods. One of those bears, "Ice," was shot by a hunter.

"I bawled my eyes out when Ice was killed, I really did," said Dawn, who has been fascinated by bears since she was a child. "But you know what? That's part of it. That's part of living out there (in the wild).

"If I'm not logical and don't have an understanding of that, then I'm not doing a good job here."

Brown tries hard not to become emotionally attached to her bears. In fact, she tries to keep a safe enough distance that even when she feeds them, they won't see her. It's crucial to them not becoming accustomed to humans or relying on people for food sources.

Anyone who thinks these bears are better off in Brown's 3-acre natural environment pen than they would be on their own -- where they do, in fact, run the risk of being killed -- doesn't understand the meaning of true rehabilitation.

It's not about what's good for us, what makes us feel good about helping wildlife. It's about the wildlife and what's best for them -- which means being prepared to battle the risks that nature throws their way.

Dawn and Mike Brown get that.

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