CA Airport Has A Shaggy Problem
Pilots at
California's Chino Airport have had to compete for runway space
with four-legged interlopers lately: coyotes.
But the problem seems to have subsided somewhat, thanks to traps
recently set by a private contractor hired by airport officials to
capture the animals. So far, at least five coyotes have been
caught.
The danger posed by the animals is what prompted airport
officials to hire retain professionals. Four times in April, pilots
reported coyotes on the runways.
James Jenkins, assistant director for the San Bernardino County
Department of Airports, said pilots have reported coyote sightings
to the tower.
"(One pilot) aborted his landing and did a go-around," Jenkins
said. "We initiated a runway inspection and the pilot landed
without incident."
According to Jenkins, several coyotes make their home in
drainage pipes on airport property. Airport personnel have been
trying to scare the animals off the property, but to no avail.
Coyote activity has been increasing in recent years in the airport
area due to the development of nearby rural land, according to the
Ontario (CA) News Bulletin.
"Here in the last 10 days, we've trapped five coyotes," Jenkins
said.
Chino Airport Manager, John Frymyer, said a coyote on the runway
can be disastrous for a pilot.
"You don't know if it will run left, run right or just stand
there," he said. "Anything could go wrong."
A pilot's natural instinct could be to swerve and protect the
animal, said Frymyer, but that may result in a wing going too low,
which could lead to a mishap.
"You're dealing with people's lives where something serious
could happen," he said.
Before trap placement at a fence near the eastern border of the
airport, airport employees had tried to block the area where the
coyotes were entering, Frymyer said.
"We used boards and rocks," he said. "But they consistently came
back through."
Frymyer said he recently saw five or six coyotes together at one
time on airport grounds. Though they are easily chased away,
they're persistent about returning.
"They've always been afraid of vehicles or people, but in the
last month they've been on the runway," he said.
The airport had another coyote problem was in the early 1990s,
when an abundance of rabbits and gophers attracted coyotes.
"During El Nino, a lot of food was available at the airport,"
Jenkins said.
For Frymyer, wildlife management is just one of many hats worn
by an airport manager.
"My number one concern is to manage and control incidences that
could cause loss of life," he said