World Wildlife Day

Airports Company South Africa celebrates World Wildlife Day with a blog article written by Melissa Hoffman, our Senior Bird and Wildlife Officer at O.R. Tambo International Airport.

ACSA Bird Strike Avoidance Program – O.R. Tambo International Airport

In 2001, ACSA in conjunction with the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) set up a partnership to investigate the incidents with regards to Bird Strike related incidents upon aircraft. Statistics had been gathered and analysed and there was a realisation that it was imperative to have a programme in place which reduces the risks with regards to Bird and Wildlife Strike related incidents upon aircraft.

The fundamental basic requirement is to reduce the number of Bird and Wildlife related strikes with aircraft is habitat management.

Habitat Management usually takes into consideration the type of bird or animal species that may be a problem at that specific airport. Not all species will react the same way to environmental conditions and one may prefer a certain habitat but the same habitat may not be favourable to another species. Research is conducted to understand what conditions may be unfavourable to the problematic species concerned and implemented. However, there may be more than one species that is problematic and risk assessments are generally conducted to understand which pose more of a threat and how the habitat can be managed as not to favour one specific species but be unfavourable to all species concerned. There are certain key elements to manage when habitat management is implemented:

The concept of tall grass versus short grass is assessed. Trees that may be utilised as a perch or roosted are addressed. We try to ensure that there any standing water on the airfield which may attract birds. Open refuse sites are well maintained to prevent a feeding area for the scavenger birds. Termite nests are treated and eradicated. Procedures such as grass cutting which attracts birds into an area, as they will forage on fleeing insects will need to be conducted in less critical areas or at night next to the areas which pose a great risk for potential bird strikes such as on the edges of runways and taxiways.

Reactive techniques should be followed to ensure that birds and wildlife do not feel comfortable in a specific area and are actively harassed and moved off a particular area. The most important reactive tool is human intervention. Full-time Bird and Wildlife Officers need to be employed to manage solely this component of the airfield. Monitoring, reporting, managing and harassing remain of utmost importance and need to happen regularly. Nocturnal Wildlife Officers have also been employed to monitor the nocturnal species of birds and wildlife which may be present on the airfield.

The introduction of a “Potential Predator” has been extremely effective. At O.R Tambo International airport we have a unit of 5 full-time staff working peak operational hours between 05:30 am and 22:00 pm, seven days a week. We have also implemented working dogs that actively chase birds off the airfield. Two breeds have been implemented a herding breed such as a Border collie and a flushing breed such as a Springer Spaniel. The two different breeds work well in tall and short grass areas. They accompany Bird and Wildlife Officers on all patrols and they are worked from an ATV (All Terrain Vehicles). Their main focus is to chase the birds of the airfield and whistle commands are utilised to control them. A good relationship with ATC (Air Traffic Control) is essential. There will be times when you require access to the runways and there needs to be trust and understanding between the two parties. Bird and Wildlife Officers are the eyes for ATC on the ground and information of bird threat potentials need to be clearly expressed to ATC so that flights on approach or take-off can be warned timorously and corrective actions can be put in place.

Certain animals need to be seen as environmental control agents. Certain animals can control other animal numbers which may be present on the airside. An example would be Jackals controlling rabbit populations. Jackals are clever, nocturnal animals and will kill and feed on rabbits on the airside. Due to their nature and behaviour, they are an ideal animal to utilise as a population control tool. Snakes are also important on the airside as they control rodent populations and will eat eggs and chicks of birds. We will go in and catch snakes which may be problematic in certain areas, say for example where work needs to be conducted and go in and move them and relocate them to a safe area on the airside.

We have certain tools at our disposal which make harassing birds easier. These include ATV’S (All Terrain Vehicles) which will enable wildlife control officers to access inaccessible areas with a normal vehicle. These vehicles are small and are easily manoeuvrable. The sound generated by these vehicles alerts the birds that a threat exits and they tend to move off more easily.

Bird Bangers are an effective device that utilises pyrotechnics which is inserted into a type of starting pistol. The noise that gets emitted is a large bang and has been extremely successful in removing stubborn birds from a particular area. Vehicle sirens can also be utilised to discourage birds from being in a particular area.

The gathering of statistics and record-keeping is essential when you need to assess the actual Bird Strike Program at the airport and is also an essential tool when it comes to predicting future bird strike trends.

Weekly bird counts are conducted to monitor the populations relating to species present on the aerodrome. The records are uploaded onto a reporting system where monthly bird presence graphs can be drawn from the data collected.

Bird patrols are also recorded. In the event of a serious birds strike the airport then has proof that a program is in place and that bird strike mitigation practices are in place. We utilise a GPS which records our time out, time in, distance and route around the airport. This tool is also utilised to count the birds on the airport and is utilised to highlight areas of concern such as standing water, open holes and areas where grass needs to be cut.

It is also essential to record all bird/wildlife strikes which will be utilised monthly and yearly to assess the bird strike trends of that particular airport.

Weather conditions are also recorded such as rainfall as this will have a direct influence on the presence of birds on the airfield. This can also be plotted together on the same graph as the bird presence graphs to show the direct correlation between the two.

There will be incidents where bird strikes will occur and you will be left with carcasses. The best practice is to house the carcasses in a deep freezer with details of the strike which has occurred upon the bird or mammal and once you have a reasonable collection of carcasses take these through to a research institute such as a museum where research can be conducted such as stomach content analysis etc. This in turn will add to scientific research. We are also assisting with DNA sequencing data collection so that in the event there is an Off Airport Bird Strike the species can be identified from a sample swab, making reporting more accurate.

There may be times when there are injured birds and wildlife. We immediately take them through to a Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre for rehabilitation and release in a safer area.

The Bird Strike Avoidance Program has grown throughout the years and dedicated staff are employed together with their working dogs to reduce the number of bird strikes with aircraft. Statistics are living proof that the program is a huge success and is run by individuals who posesses a passion for birds and wildlife and to ensure safety for planes and their feathered friends inhabiting the same territory.

A study on Grey-headed gulls were conducted and three gulls were fitted with satellite tracking collars to monitor their movements around the airport and migration patterns in the summer months. Results were amazing which indicated that the Grey-headed gulls would head to the coastal areas in the summer months such as Mozambique and St Lucia and return to Gauteng in the winter months for feeding and breeding.

Melissa Hofmann

Senior Bird and Wildlife Officer

O.R. Tambo International Airport