Airport Business - 40

WILDLIFE CONTROL
AUTHOR Chris Mullins

Animal Control ON THE Runway

How to Prevent Hazards to Health and Safety.

WHEN YOU hear the phrase, "risks of flying," there
are probably a few things that come to mind.
For most people, the slim chance
Airport Safety Facts and
Figures
of engine failure or wild turbulence is
the primary concern when it comes to
the safety of flying. That's why it would
surprise many people to hear that the
most f light-related accidents actually
occur on the runway - due to the hazard
of runway incursions - and present the
main source of damages to aircraft and
passengers alike.

Dig Defence uses galvanized
steel to prevent creatures
from getting
under fences.
DIG DEFENCE

The average traveler probably thinks of
security checks and baggage clearances,
but safety on the tarmac is the most
constant battle fought by airport staff.
Near-misses on the runway, whether
dodging other planes, maintenance
vehicles, or animals, are estimated to
occur at least three times a day in America.
Infamous incidents such as the Tenerife
Airport Disaster, the most deadly flightrelated incident in history, illustrate the
importance of airport safety protection
against runway incursion.
The Federal Aviation
Administration states that the
reported incidents of wildlife
hazards in the past century have
accounted for billions of dollars
in damage. The monetary risk
coupled with the sheer safety
risk means that this is a highpriority issue for airports,
particularly ones which are
located in rural or semi-rural areas.

Animal Control for
Airports

Find a solution capable of excluding
almost-all terrestrial animals from the
dangerous operating areas on the
airport at a very slight cost.
DIG DEFENCE

Many airports have barbed wire fences
as a standard protection against animals
and human intruders, but this only solves
the issue of things coming over the fence.
A standard chain link fence topped off
with barbed wire is woefully inadequate
against tunneling and burrowing animals,
though. Some airports go so far as to
adopt electric fences to further dissuade
pests.
Barbed wire and electric fences pose
the issue of being potentially inhumane
or damaging to potential invasive

40 \ AIRPORTBUSINESS / OCTOBER 2019

wildlife. Most airports are willing to
avoid maiming local wildlife if it's not
necessary.

Humane Wildlife
Management
Some air ports exper iment with
complicated and expensive programs
like underground radar, but even those
do not fully prevent accidents.
Other airports still favor a more
straightforward solution like Dig
Defence, which uses galvanized steel
to prevent creatures from getting under
fences without any maiming.
It naturally discourage wildlife from
entering by extending the protection of
the already existing fence underground.
The barriers are easier to maintain, more
reliable, and less dangerous than similar
solutions to the issue, with less cost to
the end customer, such as occur with
trenching and pouring concrete.

A Step Towards Safer
Runways
While runway incursions are a complex
issue with a variety of causes and factors,
none are more preventable than the
simple issue of wildlife presence on the
runway. Considering that there is a lot
at stake on any given runway, airport
management has a strong incentive to
reduce risk as much as possible. Use a
solution that is capable of excluding
almost-all terrestrial animals from the
dangerous operating areas on the airport
at a very slight. With numerous airports
already adopting this pragmatic solution
to protect themselves against liability, it
is likely that we'll be seeing even more
follow suit. 
Airport Business

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