Runway jackals give forest dept a tough time

Kolkata: Every monsoon, jackals and dogs block the runway of NSCBI, giving airlines and airport officials a harrowing time. On Wednesday, a team from the wildlife wing of the state forest department visited the airport, on the request of the Airports Authority of India (AAI), to find a permanent solution to the menace.
"We made a preliminary visit and will determine measures to solve the problem," divisional forest official Rana Dutta told TOI. The forest department officials said they would install cages on barren green fields beside the runway to trap dogs and jackals. Sources at the airport said the vast barren land adjacent to the runway has not been cleared for several years, making it the home for these jackals and dogs. Reportedly, some 25 jackals and several dogs come out of their bushes and run around on runway whenever it rains.
About 22 contract staff of the airport's bird section have taken all sorts of measures to get rid of the uninvited guests. They use sticks and even explode chocolate bombs, which are otherwise banned in the city, to chase the jackals and dogs. "Our worry is after dusk when our duty hours get over," one of the workers said. "Security officials of the apron control have to take over at that time." With air turbine fuel prices rising, the airlines are now putting pressure on the AAI to get rid of such problems.
21/07/08 Times of India

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Categories: Airports Jul 2008, Safety Jul 2008