West Virginia’s Busiest Airport Employs Two Border Collies To Maintain The Runway Clear Of Birds And Wildlife

Taking a look at satellite tv for pc photos of West Virginia Worldwide Yeager Airport in Charleston, West Virginia, reveals a few skinny strips of tarmac on a mountain which can be flanked by dense swaths of timber and some roads. Whereas the greenery is nice for capturing carbon dioxide, it additionally serves as a house for wildlife like deer, Canada geese, geese, hawks, songbirds, and bats, all of that are liable to cross flight paths and touchdown strips at any given second. That is the place Hercules and Ned come into play, two border collies who’re specifically educated to patrol the mile-long airfield to stop birds and different wildlife from affecting airport visitors and maintain passengers and crew secure.

Eight-year-old border collie Hercules was the primary canine to imagine the function, and was educated by a Charlotte, North Carolina–based mostly firm known as Flyaway Geese that teaches border collies to herd geese and sheep to assist companies tackle wildlife issues. Final 12 months, he gained a brand new coworker in a two-year-old collie named Ned, and collectively the 2 mitigate a number of annual wildlife-plane accidents

Based on AP Information reporting, about 19,000 strikes involving planes and wildlife occurred at U.S. airports within the 12 months 2023, with 95% of these involving birds. Between 1998 and 2023, a Federal Aviation Administration database reveals that wildlife collisions in the US have killed 76 individuals and destroyed 126 plane. In 2022, there have been 5 airplane strikes involving bats at Yeager Airport, and there have been circumstances of planes colliding with deer up to now. The work that Hercules and Ned do saves lives.

After they’re not patrolling the property, the 2 pups usually take pleasure in greeting vacationers and soliciting their scratches and snuggles, or they calm down within the airport operations middle. Border collies are one of the energetic canine breeds — I dogsit for some associates who’ve a collie combine and I can attest to their limitless power reserves — in order that they’re the proper breed for the job. These furry heroes get loads of consideration for his or her service; Hercules has even grown fairly a fanbase from his Instagram and TikTok accounts. There’s one thing so heartwarming about utilizing canines in such a peaceable and official method within the 12 months 2025, way more than listening to about drones, AI, and robots, so we thanks on your service, Hercules and Ned.