Taking a look at satellite tv for pc pictures 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 bushes 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 skilled to patrol the mile-long airfield to forestall birds and different wildlife from affecting airport visitors and maintain passengers and crew protected.
Eight-year-old border collie Hercules was the primary canine to imagine the position, and was skilled by a Charlotte, North Carolina–based mostly firm known as Flyaway Geese that teaches border collies to herd geese and sheep to assist companies deal with wildlife issues. Final yr, 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
Stopping chicken strikes saves lives and prevents delays
In response to AP Information reporting, about 19,000 strikes involving planes and wildlife occurred at U.S. airports within the yr 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 previously. The work that Hercules and Ned do saves lives.
After they’re not patrolling the property, the 2 pups typically take pleasure in greeting vacationers and soliciting their scratches and snuggles, or they calm down within the airport operations heart. Border collies are some of the energetic canine breeds — I dogsit for some associates who’ve a collie combine and I can attest to their limitless power reserves — so that they’re the right 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 canine in such a peaceable and official method within the yr 2025, far more than listening to about drones, AI, and robots, so we thanks to your service, Hercules and Ned.
