Heroic Hercules
Border Collies Keep Airfield Safe from Wildlife
By Camp Bow Wow
It’s not a bird, it’s not a plane … it’s a border collie! That energetic bundle of fur bounding down the airfield at the West Virginia International Yeager Airport would be Hercules (or his understudy, Ned). The two precious pups serve a very important mission at the regional airport located in the heart of the mountains near Charleston, W.Va. They keep the area clear of wildlife, and especially birds, which can create a dangerous, even life-threatening situation.
About 19,000 strikes involving planes and wildlife occurred at U.S. airports in 2023, of which 95% involved birds, according to a Federal Aviation Administration database. From 1988 to 2023, wildlife collisions in the U.S. killed 76 people and destroyed 126 aircraft. And Yeager Airport, which serves 500,000 people a year, has not been unaffected.
“We are surrounded by mountains and a river below us, so we get a ton of wildlife,” said wildlife specialist Chris Keyser who handles Hercules and Ned for the airport. “Years ago, there was a deer crossing the runway that hit a plane and broke a prop off.” Even a stray turtle turns into a FOG (foreign object debris) if it’s in the path of a plane. “A turtle recently took down an aircraft at another airport when a pilot tried to dodge it,” Chris reported.
Yeager airport management brought in Hercules in 2018 to ameliorate problems of animals meeting machine without harm to people, fur or fowl. The pup had spent 18 months training to herd geese and sheep at North Carolina-based Flyaway Geese, an organization that teaches border collies to address wildlife problems. Chris, an avid outdoorsman who had worked at the airport for years, was the perfect choice to handle Hercules. Ned joined the pack two years ago when Hercules’ stride slowed. Hercules and Ned “have made about a 70% difference with bird strikes at the airport,” Chris reported.
Border Collies are ideally situated for bird herding duties because they can withstand heat and cold. “They are one of the smartest dogs you could ever have,” Chris said. “Every time our control tower hollers down (with a problem sighting), they know the voices and go to barking.”
Chris uses his voice and hand signals to direct the energetic canines. Sometimes he’ll need them to run and flush out the interlopers. Other times, he’ll signal the pups to lie down on the grass to discourage stubborn fowl from sticking around – especially after a rain, when the abundant worms draw birds to what Chris calls “buffet day.” Starlings are especially dangerous around Yeager Airport, as they fly in groups as large as 1000 at a time. “That’s why it’s important we do the job we do to keep passengers safe,” he said.
Discouraging wildlife from taking up residence on the runway is just one of the dogs’ duties. Hercules and Ned also prowl the terminal, offering hugs, paw shakes and slurpy kisses to cheer and calm passengers. The pups serve as ambassadors of the airport. Hercules has his own Instagram and TikTok accounts and regularly hosts groups of schoolchildren. The airport has even published a children’s book, A New Friend, the Adventures of Hercules, that depicts the pup’s day interacting with a child’s left-behind stuffed tiger. Ned and Hercules have a special “office” for their bowls and beds, complete with their own bathtub and blow dryer. They feel they are appreciated and can’t wait to go out and work with him, Chris noted.
“We hope we are setting a good goal for other airports with the efforts we have made to keep more people safer on this world,” Chris said.
