Airport wildlife runs wild
Stories can be found in the strangest places. Same is true of wildlife. In “The Wild,” a weekly LA Times publication, it turns out there is quite a story about wild animals living at airports.
San Francisco International Airport is home for 1,300 federally protected garter snakes along with one of its favorite snacks: the endangered California red-legged frog. At LAX, the airport manages a 200-acre dune site to protect the disappearing El Segundo blue butterfly, the burrowing owl and more than 900 other plant and animal species.
The good news is that neither airport has aircraft collision difficulties with these animals although the burrowing owl could be problematic if it took flight. Instead, it’s happy to hang out for the winter at this priceless coastal real estate since LA offers no other alternative. However, depending on an airport’s surrounding geography, airplane incidences are common with wildlife like deer, alligators, coyote, moose and even an excess of worms on the runway after a rain.
In the U.S., federal agencies along with nonprofits and other local groups work together with airports to manage their specific animal issues. Various techniques are employed including the use of a Border Collie to shoo away the birds at RSW airport in Fort Myers, Florida.
Yes, airport wildlife stories abound. Unfortunately our storytelling ends here.