This post is inspired by a recent event that lead to temporary closure of Milano Linate, which is Milano second airport, so may be not a major one, but not exactly the municipal airport.

Linate had to be closed, in a planned way, for several hours, for the purpose of chasing hares that were living here. This operation involved many kilometers of nets, and hundred of people to hunt the furry ones. You can find a complete coverage of this event by CBS.

Hare control is really an issue, but most of time the “Faune control units” at the airports deal with birds. The big issue is that large birds can not be easily ingested by engines, and could cause some damages to windshields, wings, and any part of an aircraft.

There is a whole business in chasing birds from airports, with various equipment, including, but not limited to:

-) Remote guns (producing sounds only)
-) Mini fireworks, silent and screaming
-) Loudspeakers prodcasting other birds noises (predator noises)

Part of the problem is also that many airports have open fields where they leave some grass for decoration or ease of maintenance purposes, and this attracts small animals (mice, rats, …), and when the grass gets its periodical cutting, it does in turn attarcts more birds looking for easy food.

I know a place where they recently tried to leave the grass get longer, but then larger animals started to live here… and to eat the lighting system cables !

To fight against these problems all airports have some “Faune control”, patrolling all day long, looking for birds, and trying to chase them.