For a few hours on Sunday all motion ground to a stop. All except the whistle blowing, frantic arm waving and the ominous advancing line of safety vest draped people. It wasn't the scene of Paris Hilton's jail release but rather part of a twice yearly event in Milan Italy.
It seems that the wild hares that reside within the grounds of Milan's Linate airport have been extra busy this year enjoying the air of romance. Their rapidly growing numbers prompted a rare daylight hunt for the "wascally wabbits" since their large numbers interfere with the radar and sensors that monitor the airport. Officials at the airport said that the "hunts" are usually conducted under cover of darkness but this year, with the large number sighted, they wanted to give the volunteers a better chance of grabbing them.
Yes, more than 200 people volunteered to spook about 57 hares and 4 wild rabbits out of their burrows and into waiting nets. I can't help visualizing Bill Murray's "Carl Spackler" with his ever increasing gear, determined to destroy the unwanted vermin. This time there were no rabbits flying out of burrows with high pressure hoses, no explosives taking chunks out of the grounds and no one dressed for gopher special forces. There were just a couple hundred people chasing wabbits on the hot tarmac and into awaiting nets. Officials said that they were put into wooden crates and transferred to a wildlife perserve where I have no doubt they will continue their romantic ways.
This isn't just an "italian" problem brought about by the travel brochures of romance in the north of Italy. Charles De Gaulle Airport in Paris France instituted "Operation Rabbit" to remove the rabbits who they believed were the root of their plane vs bird problems. Hunters did the original deed but today, ferrets are doing it for them. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey use falcons and hawks to keep the gulls and geese away from the bay near JFK Airport. Southwest Florida International Airport and Augusta Regional Airport in Geogia both employ border collies to routinely chase away the feathered timebombs.
Curt Kuehner, wildlife officer at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport doesn't have animals on staff to help him but he is left to his own devices for bird removal. So far, he has used bird distress calls, decoys and in times when those don't work, he entertains the terminal passengers by running towards flocks of birds waving his arms and screaming like a madman.
Activist's objected to Miami International Airports plan to bring in hunters to solve their rabbit runneth over problem, so volunteers trapped them and brought them out to a ranch in Texas. A judge later gave permission for hunters to come in and take care of the stragglers but so far, no humans or rabbits have been bagged.
The aviation industry is facing more than $330 million worth of damage to aircraft due to encounters with wildlife that has taken up residence at airports. They have teamed up with wildlife organizations, the United States Department of Agriculture and the FAA in hopes of finding viable solutions to reducing the numbers of wildlife drawn to the "easy life" at airports.
I still keep getting the idea that somewhere, there is a small airport with a small budget and their solution includes having the security guard working double shift with flashlights taped to his helmet and net in hand.
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