Airports have long used sirens and pyrotechnics to shoo away birds; West Virginia International Yeager Airport now relies on two border collies. In a piece for the Washington Post, Andrea Sachs follows Hercules, 9, and Ned, 4, as they spend their days sprinting across the mountaintop airfield in Charleston, W.Va., flushing out birds and other wildlife that can pose a serious threat to planes. Their handler, wildlife specialist Chris Keyser, says the canine patrol has coincided with a more than 70% drop in reported bird strikes since Hercules arrived in 2018, with only one incident logged this year in the FAA's Wildlife Strike Database.
The border collie is a particularly effective breed at this job, breeder Rebecca Gibson told USA Today last year. "They put their heads down and their tails in between their legs and they stalk things," Gibson said. "That body movement mimics the hunting movement of a wolf, coyote, or arctic fox." In other words: Critters that are potentially dangerous to planes quickly skedaddle.
The boys have developed a fan base. "Herc is a working dog and loving dog," Keyser says. "And Ned is all about work, but he likes to play ball, too." The dogs live full-time at the airport, log several miles a day across runways and taxiways, and double as unofficial mascots and therapy animals, complete with pilot caps, social media followings topping 70,000, and their own branded swag in the gift shop. Passengers now request meet-and-greets along with window seats. For a detailed look at their workday—and the larger safety problem they're addressing—read the full story at the Washington Post.
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